Hello friends!
The kids are back to school, we are wrapping up a beautiful kitchen remodel (pictures to follow soon!) and we have a broody hen in our flock.
The first couple weeks after school starts again I like to have easy recipes for our dinners. Tonight we are having Sweet and Sour Chicken over Coconut Rice and a Cucumber Salad on the side. Here is the recipe for my favorite Sweet and Sour Chicken, it’s one of our go-to’s!
Before we get to cleaning copper, we have one hen not quite herself. Being this is our first flock it took a bit of research to see what was going on.
Our broody hen seems to be determined to sit on everyone’s eggs and hatch them. I have heard about this but we have not experienced it yet, so this is our first go-round. Apparently, it is just her instinct to want to incubate those little chicks (mind you, we rehomed our roosters a while ago.) So we are carefully removing the eggs from underneath her a few times a day and waiting for her to decide she is no longer interested. This can take 21 days.
Here are a few of the ladies happily going in and out of the coop to the outdoor area. Business as usual.
And, here is our broody hen. They lower themselves down as to keep the eggs (even if none are there) warm to hatch.
She is just doing what nature intended but we are looking forward to having her break this and join the flock again.
They are my feathered babies so I am happy to patiently collect the eggs and wait for mama to find something more exciting in our yard to focus on.
Well there is the hen update you didn’t know you were going to get today haha 🙂
And I finally have had a moment to bring out my vintage copper pitchers and a few other pieces. These were all bequeathed to me by my wonderful Mother In Law. I call her my Mom In Love, she is a wonderful woman and I have learned so much from her.
She and her husband have been missionaries their entire adult lives and have lived in Uganda, Mexico and New Guinea as well. We keep reminding them that they need to finish the book they have so badly wanted to complete. The stories are incredible and when I imagine her cooking dinner for her family over an open flame in front of their grass hut, I am very thankful for the modern conveniences I take for granted so often.
Candis noticed I have been collecting more and more copper and said she had something for me when we visited next. She was not home but there was a box waiting for me. There was a note, and in the box were all kinds of platters, pitchers and a kettle that had been lovingly packed away for many years. She has had this copper collection for probably about 40 years, the majority of it from Mexico.
And all of it with a story behind it.
They gotta finish that book!
I knew I wanted to clean and polish the copper for Fall and use it around our home to enjoy during cozy season.
I’ve read multiple methods on how to clean copper, so I decided to try the ketchup method first. It took off some of the build up but I could tell I needed something with more acid.
I kept reading online and noticed over and over the suggestion of using flour, salt, and vinegar to clean copper. So I tried this method and could immediately see this was going to work.
With some scrubbing that is.
I used 1/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup salt and added a few tablespoons of white vinegar to make a paste. I applied the paste all over the outside of each piece and just a bit on the upper area inside. With some scrubbing and a good sponge this combination was really doing the trick.
Being a lover of all things antique, vintage and charming, I made sure to leave a little dinge behind. Like when you are cleaning sterling silver, if you get all of the tarnish out of the nooks and crannies it no longer looks like sterling silver. It’s TOO clean.
I washed each copper piece with mild dish soap and water, dried them off and I had to stand back and really take in the difference a good cleaning can make!
Unpacking a few of these lovely pieces and working on them until their luster returned made me think of times in life when we seem to lose our luster.
Maybe it is a season of loss, or loneliness.
Or a time where we find ourselves not feeling deserving or worthy.
For whatever reason, we have all felt lackluster.
Those times are hard, but thankfully they do not last forever.
I guess we are a bit like copper in a way too.
The beautiful glow is there, it’s just got a little dinge on it.
With a little work we are good as new. Sometimes we all forget to shine. I suppose that is why we need each other to cheer one another on.
Now to see these lovely pieces together, and the warmth that only copper can bring to a space or vignette makes me squeal with delight. Yep I am 52 and I still am known to jump up and down with glee, but only if it’s for something really fabulous, or sweet, or cozy, or meaningful.
Or a sale on candles, that really gets me jumping.
Off to run the kids to school, and perhaps to do a little thrifting if time allows.
You just never know what patina is out there waiting to be found under a little tarnish.
Have a wonderful day friend, you have no idea how much your sweet messages and comments mean to me!
Wishing you the most blessed, cozy week ever 🙂
xo, Tanya
17 Responses
Oh gosh – Your Mom in Love sounds like a lovely person. The copper pitchers are so lovely and look perfect in your decor. I hope your broody hen returns to her usual self soon. They certainly are cute chickens. Thank you for sharing this post with the Home Imagined Link Party.
Thank you so much Anna! She is such a sweet hen, we can’t wait to have her back to herself too 🙂 hugs friend! xo Tanya
Wow, Tanya… I have been seeing more and more copper coming out this season, and I forget how much I love it. I’m going to make it a point to start looking for pieces when I go thrifting/antiquing. Your pitchers are lovely! Pinned!
Thank you Julie 🙂 I felt like I wasn’t really keeping an eye out for copper until I inherited these, now I am hooked! Thank you for stopping by friend 🙂 xo Tanya
This is such a fun read! I love hearing about your kitchen remodel and the broody hen drama. My mom used to have a broody hen, and it was quite the adventure. As for the vintage copper, I once found an old copper pot at a thrift store. Cleaning it was a chore but so worth it. Can’t wait to see the kitchen pics! Do you think the hen will ever snap out of it? 😜
Love the update on your broody hen! Sounds like quite the adventure. And those vintage copper pieces from your Mom In Love are treasures. Do you have any fun plans for how to display them in your newly remodeled kitchen? 🍽️
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