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the gals…

October 26, 2013

chic6 chic7
annie has no fear.
i always think animals would be cranky when in their “mama mode”
but apparently not.
she just moved Libby and snagged her eggs right out from her.

this was two days of eggs since we forgot the day before.
one egg was quite poopy.
and that is what annie’s face is about… the egg touching her shirt.
chic4 chic5 meg6 chic2 chic3 chic1
talby said yesterday that the chickens are her favorite pets of any we have had.
that is sweet i think.
they are a funny animals and they are super tame.

raising these girls has been a fun adventure.

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Mindy - Your gals are the cutest. I have said it before but you make me want some every single time you post about them…The neighbors in the field behind us used to have some. Their daughter had a battery operated jeep and she would pick one up, put it under her arm and away her and the chick would drive. I got to be entertained but didn’t have to scoop the poop – no eggs either though.

tara - those chickens are hilarious.
annies’ face is awesome.

tracy fisher - i love love love your stories…. i’ve been away being a nurse to my son and husband and taking my daughter to her jobs… and trying to keep up with my own work… exhausting!!! so when i get a chance to sit down and breathe, i love looking you up. hugs to you. -tracy

Melissa - I must say I do agree! They are pretty funny and oh so entertaining!

and now, I think I must take my kiddos bowling and out for donuts this weekend!!!

haha!

Now I’m hungry.

Sara @ it's good to be queen - i love it, i love it, 5 times i love it. chicky pictures are my fave. also, your coop is amazing.

Kristen - Chickens! My brother and sister-in-law just purchased a new home with space for chickens. My nieces are SO excited as they research this venture–fun to see how it’s going for you. Also fun to see your earlier post about IL since I live in that general area. You posted pictures of places that are a short drive from my home. We don’t live in that town but my four-year-old son has been to the Choo Choo restaurant and loves it. 🙂 Been lurking for a while on your blog–I enjoy it.

Emily @ DavenportDIY - Oh you have a broody hen!! We had one growing up that exact same color who would go broody all the time- she even hatched chicks (from some fertilized eggs we got) and was such a good mama. She would carry the chicks around under her wings. Broody hens are the best (and yes, surprisingly good about you removing the eggs from underneath them)

ERIKA - Adorable Chicks. 😉

Sara Torbett - My mother-in-law lives next door and has chickens too. My two year old and 11-month old both love them! They are funny creatures to watch….(the chickens, not the babies, lol) I don’t know about you, but we can definitely taste a difference in grocery store eggs and eggs from home. We eat scrambled eggs seven days a week. 🙂

Lee Ann - Love all of these pics! For some reason my eggs are much cleaner in the summer and can get very poopy in the winter. Trust me, that little bit of poop is nothing 🙂 Sometimes they’re so gross I just throw them away because it grosses me out to think of eating them. Next year you need a white layer and an Americana so you can have blue/green eggs. I love the mixed colors!

Tiffany - I have such fond memories of ‘picking eggs’ when I was a little girl on my parents’ farm. My favorite part. I loved reaching under them and pulling a warm egg out from under them.

Southern Gal - My daughter and my parents have chickens. They are quite poopy, which reminds me of running around barefoot on my Great Aunt Etha’s farm when I was a little girl and having fits when I’d have chicken poop squish between my toes. Yuck! That’s what I always think about when I’m around chickens. 😉

Christy - How cool! I love your chickens…and that precious hen house! LOVE it!

Leah Faye - I lived in a house that had chickens one summer. I was always way too afraid to pick them up and created my on strategies for feeding them without them swarming me.
I loved eating the eggs though! So good!
Leah Faye
a clover and a bee

Laura - wish I read this BEFORE I ate dinner

we just had chicken

sorry gals

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life is good… don’t ya think?

September 9, 2013

somedays i just feel so full of joy in the everyday little things of life.
i am super busy… you are super busy.
but looking around at the everyday stuff is when the busy-ness falls away and you can SEE the goodness.
the stuff that brings a peaceful and content heart.

some pictures from this last week…. starting with scott’s first high school football game.
he didn’t play last year. i am SO happy he is playing this year.
he is #6 on the sidelines.

this view… it doesn’t get much better on a friday night at 10:30.

mm6

getting up early to run on the weekend has made for great weekend DAYS for me.
i am not as tired as before… i spend my morning waking up with God and this beauty all around me
instead of people talking to me right away and hearing sponge bob in the background… and cranky kids.

i dare you to try it.
it took me 37 years to figure it out…. but i am loving it.

mm5
as soon as i took that corn picture… it started to rain.
what can you do when you are out for a run at 7 AM on a sunday in the rain?
finish.
in the rain.

mm1
annie made chocolate chip cookies on her own. 🙂
my friend and i ran a different route last week and i really loved it… i think i loved the shade!

mm3
we tried to see if cows like watermelon. they are so skittish that they took off running… big dorks.
this is one of my most favorite snacks: greek non-fat vanilla yogurt (high protein & no fat), blueberries and just a little bit of low fat granola

mm2
these are two very spoiled kitties.
if chickens would poop about 1/3 of the amount that they do… they would even more awesome.
on IG i asked what song she might be singing in that picture on the right. SO MANY funny responses! i loved it.

mm7
“you wouldn’t believe what i heard Libby say about Oreo just now….”
“Oh no she didn’t”
it appears that our chicks are quite the gossipers.
mm4
best mornings.

this is so worth getting out of bed for!

oh kansas…. you don’t know how much i love you.

mm8

are you singing now?

i have been belting it out all morning alone in my house.

i continued on in the series of sermons i listened to last week.
i am going to check into the pastors you shared with me.
i have already downloaded several!

how was your weekend?

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Country Mouse vs. City Mouse | The Blue Tulip - […] And so when I get nostalgic about country living, I just hang out with these online friends. Ree and Myquillyn and Meg. […]

Amber Campbell Hibbs - Yay for morning runs and for Kansas. And I think you should add that picture of the sunrise and the road to your canvas prints. I know i would buy one. 🙂

Carolyn Ruth - I appreciate everything you share with us! And I wanted to share another podcast with you of one of my favorite pastors to listen to.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/denver-united-church-audio/id294459009

Kathy - Hey there! I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now, maybe a little longer. I never realized you were in Kansas until you said in this last post how much you love Kansas. I am in Kansas also. Serving a mission for 18 months, in Dodge City. HI CUTE NEIGHBOR!

katie - As a girl from Kansas that has been permanently transplanted to Texas I would love to have that corn picture on a canvas. Reminds me of my Dad and growing up on the farm outside of Lawrence. Anyway you could make that happen?

Katie

elizabeth - Maybe I am a scaredy cat but I don’t know about running at 7am on a long deserted road. Abduction comes to my head…but the scenery is beautiful none the less.

tara - love these pictures…so much to smile about.
life is good.

i need to get out and capture some of the beauty around me…it’s been a little too long.

Lee Ann - Beautiful morning pictures on your runs. And don’t EVER forget – “Once you’re wet, you’re wet.” Even in the rain – just keep running 🙂

Samantha - Such a great week! If God wasn’t so amazing ehat on earth would we do with ourselves? Glad you had a wonderful week! Thank you for the reminder to be grateful and cheerful in our gladness! Lioking forward to more weeks ahead!

Emily - I love this picture! How do you get the web to show up so well? It’s amazing!
-Emily

Tere - Hello Meg! My favorite picture is your 10:30pm outside, love, love it. And then there is the cows. But tell me, dumb question, what happens with all those sunflowers? Are they harvested for bouquets or seeds or ??

Jenny B. - Beautiful! Your face is looking skinny, too! Not that it hasn’t always… Do you feel weird when you compliment someone on their weight? Like, what if they’re actually offended? Anywho… 🙂

I missed the post about listening to sermons. My husband keeps telling me I need to listen to a recent sermon I missed about the Trinity by our Sunday night pastor (He’s actually our collegiate minister, and is really good.). Here’s the link:

http://fbcfayetteville.org/media.php?pageID=17

To hear the one on The Trinity, you have to scroll down to 7/21/13. Maybe I’ll finally go listen to it now too! 🙂

Sarah H. - I often feel overwhelmed with gratitude about the mundane daily things of my life. It’s not that my life is so fabulous, but it really is, you know? Compared to what it could be, I am so thankful. Love your pictures.

Mj - You want to hear powerful sermons? Check out the podcasts from Venture Christian Church on iTunes. Pastor Chip Ingram and Pastor Tim Lundy. Both are down to earth and preach truth like no other Pastor I’ve ever heard.

Tiffany - Love your positive attitude! I should have read it earlier today. My kids got me cranky this evening. Tomorrow is a new day. Also, I wish we had sunflowers like that in MN! Stunning!

Mary - Your pictures make me miss Kansas so much! Born and raised there, for 23 years. Now have lived in Colorado for 22 years, beautiful here, however Kansas is still home…

amy jupin - you have such a gift…to see and capture the stunning beauty all around us.
you inspire me!
just thought you might want to know that!
🙂

Tanya - I love reading about people figuring things out. It makes me feel like I’m not the only mid-30’s gal still figuring things out. I love this post. Life is good indeed 🙂

Sarah Wolfe - I love this post. And I agree. Life is sweet, and I always need reminders to turn my mind to the things that are good and sweet and lovely. And to turn my mind off of ALL the clutter!

Julie {CalleLillyCafe} - Wow!! Those sunflowers! I would HAVE to walk or ride my bike past those beauties every day! #notarunner =)

Mindi - What are you listening to on your runs? I would love to change it up!

happygirl - You running girls are amazing. I just want to become a walking girl again. You are GREAT!!

Lori H - Life IS good! But I wish I lived where there are sunflower fields!

beth larson - morning Meg!
so, as always I loveddddddd your photos…the one of you close up- you look 14 in. : ) the last one of the sky is simply AMAZING!

(I may have asked you this before- but are most of these pics from your phone? when I try upload my camera pics to my blog they have to be super small or they are blurry) : (

Would love to know how you do it!
thanks and have a blessed day,
beth

Necole@seriosulysassymama - I prefer music when I exercise. I am already talking in my head, so someone else talking would just make things crowded. I love Texas like you love Kansas.

Southern Gal - Morning runs are the best. I love clearing my mind and then focusing on what God has for me. It’s a lovely way to start the day. Now if you ask me to run in the afternoons I’m toast. Can’t hit a lick with a stick in the afternoons. Love your chickens. My daughter’s family has goats, chickens and honeybees. We love visiting and watching the three-year-old boss all the animals around, except for the bees. 😉

Alicia @ La Famille - this IS a whole lotta happy stuff right here. love that you’re getting up early. I LOVE getting up early before my kids…it just doesn’t happen right now and I hate that. yuck. you make me want to run.

Tracy - I’m almost 10 years ahead of you on early mornings….I have been loving them for several years now. Bliss.

We had our 10th grader’s first football game last week, too. Like Scott, he didn’t play last year and we are so so glad he decided to play. He’s trying to be like his older varsity playing 12th grade brother 🙂 His bro is a good role model, thank goodness!!

Terrie - I loved all the answers on your instagram photo too!
Sooooo funny!!
The hubs was wondering what I was laughing at…
Great pics!
I Love living in Kansas…so much beauty.
And I’m wishing we had some sunflowers close to us…
looks like I need to go stalk some country roads!
Love taking sunflower pics!

Amanda - These posts always make me miss Kansas something fierce! I was born and raised there but am a Georgia transplant now. I always say I have half my heart in Georgia and half in Kansas! I love them both! But miss my beautiful home state. Thanks for the pictures!

stephany - life IS good.
have a great week, Meg!

Melissa - Jealous of those sunflower fields. Gorgeous

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it was a good one.

August 26, 2013

our weekend was just right.
we had a party….we hung out… we got some stuff done… i made margaritas.
sounds good doesn’t it?

we have had this style of party several times now and i think it is my favorite.
we invite people over and have them bring a carton of ice cream and we provide all the toppings.
it’s fun because we get all kinds of ice cream too.
and then we let the kids go nuts making their own sundaes.

the kids were playing soccer, volleyball and jumping on the trampoline… notice annie’s sweaty hair.
she had to put her bowl into a bigger bowl since she filled it so full.

after ice cream it starts to get dark and we play a movie up on the barn wall.
all the kids grabbed their chairs and settled in.
this time we played “The Sandlot” … such a great movie!
the grown ups stayed by the house and talked.
the best kind of party! occupied kids and adult conversation under twinkle lights.
yes please.

i went out for a run on sunday morning early and it was absolutely gorgeous outside.
the sun was just coming up… cows were by the creek… farmer was baling hay… perfect morning to be out.

the field behind our house has sunflower weeds growing.
i took that picture (on the right) and thought i would like to get married right there in front of these flowers.
to craig again of course.
but then the bugs attacked me and i decided since i was already married we could just kiss there & call it good.

cats are weirdos.
she was sound asleep… with her head hanging off the chair.

we have taught the chickens how to jump for food in our hands.
it is hysterical.
someday i will show a video.

and then there is this.
i mean… really.
how lucky are we everyday that God puts incredible beauty in our paths like this?
it may not look like this at your house but He shows you in other ways that are equally awesome.

all you have to do is look.

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Tiffany - It has been a busy few weeks for me, but I’ve had fun catching up on your recent blog posts. This party looks so fun! What great memories you help create for your kids! Excited to see that chicken jumping video. Funny isn’t it! Happy Anniversary to you and Craig. You look so great in all of the pictures. Reminds me I need to take more pictures with Pat.

Melinda - Love all of it! Thank you for,sharing!

e - Wild sunflowers bloomed the weekend I got married outside in Kansas. I love to see them and be reminded of the day I entered into a lifelong partnership! Thanks for posting (I don’t live in KS anymore).

Fern Lung - Do you have anywhere with buttons to sign up to recieve your blog, pinterest, and you tube if you have it. I dont see anywhere to sign up to recieve your blog.

Tracy - I love that, Meg! “all you have to do is look”. So often I forget to look!!!

Thank you!!

Melissa - The ice cream party looks so fun! I actually just bought one of those metal double “washing bins” a few weeks ago at a sale!

Brianna - My mom makes her chickens jump for bananas… They love them, you should try it! Beautiful pictures as always…

Jackie Kirsche - Oh, I love your party idea! I think I might just be replicating it here in Georgia. 🙂
Thanks for sharing.

rebekah - It sounds absolutely perfect!

Patricia - Lovely photos ~ looks like FUN!

April M - I like your blog like I like coffee 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing!

Renee - chickens jumping!?!? LOL!! that is amazing.
sometimes my husband says, ‘give me some hungry chicken,yo.’ and then holds out his hands while i ‘peck’ with my hand. it’s really nerdy.

Julie - What a great idea for a party. Sounds like a fabulous evening. Wonderful photos yet again.

stephanie - I love this. Every bit.

Gina - Sounds fabulous!! I love the movie The Sandlot!! We say, “for-ev-er” all the time! 😉 There is nothing like nature to soothe the soul. Love your photos!! 😀

Christi - I love ice cream parties! Looks like SO much fun! My question is – what kind of projector do you use for your movies? This is omehing I’ve wanted to do for the last few years, but I’m never comfortable with the resolution for the price on the ones I find.

happygirl - An ice cream sundae party sounds wonderful. You make living in the heartland sound so desirable. I’ve just got to get off this east coast. 🙂

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one… or fifteen.

August 22, 2013

raising chickens has been really fun.
they are kinda noisy.
they are VERY poopy.
they are funny to watch especially when you have food for them.

Pan Fry is a lady.
thank goodness.

our family is just having the best time living out here in the country.
every afternoon and evening we are outside.
taking in whatever beauty we can see around us…. sometimes that is through chickens or kitties.
sometimes it’s a huge Heron flying over the yard and landing in our tree!
or yesterday morning there were 21 wild turkeys in the yard while we ate our cereal.

chic7 chic1
does anyone reading this want this rooster?
he is a beautiful bantam rooster but we don’t want any roosters.
we just want the girls…. the eggs. no chicks. we have enough chicks.

how weird are chicken’s feet?!!
creepy.

chic8

i have a ridiculous fear of spiders but i am amazed at the webs.
how could anyone look at that without a sense of awe?
God shows himself in big ways but also in teeny tiny ways… like the thin tiny thread of a spider’s detailed web.

they puff up like this all the time when they are cleaning themselves. FUNNY!it looks like she is at a party with those lights and colors in the background… ha ha ha

yesterday morning talby went outside to check if the chickens had laid an egg yet.
we’ve been waiting 6 months.
she came back in with a straight face and i said “STILL NO EGGS?” and she smiled really big and pulled out this one small sweet egg.
and laughed at the trick she pulled on us.
OH the EXCITEMENT over the little egg.
Everyone held it and was so proud of the chickens!
we were trying guess which of the girls might have laid it.

it was a fun way to send them off to the bus.

later that evening Sean said “I’m going to go check to see if there is one more egg from today”

i was cooking dinner in the kitchen and he came in with TWELVE eggs.
i thought it was a joke.
but where could he find 12 brown eggs to trick me with?

well… we were excited about one egg! You can imagine the JOY that came from 12 more!

And they even found two more that night!

they aren’t laying their eggs in the nesting boxes or even in the house of their coop… they are being stinkers and hiding them under the house which is why we didn’t see them.

i am not sure how to fix this… but maybe it will fix itself.
for now the kids will crawl under to get the eggs.
i won’t.
but i shouldn’t have to with all these kids around.

🙂

seriously… SUCH A GREAT DAY! i smiled a lot.

it was worth the wait.

and of course… omelets for dinner tonight!

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tara - all I can think about when i look at those chicken feet is our trip to China to bring Lydia home. every single restaurant we ate at offered fried chicken feet to us. gross.

apparently, chicken feet that are fried are all the rage in china.

Susan W - You won the egg lottery!
So much fun to experience! Love love love the photos!

Tiffany - So exciting! I love country living, and you capture the joy of it and your home through the photos perfectly. The critters around your home now give even more to the fun of your photos.

Rach - We out here in Cali approve of the Cubs shirt by the way. 🙂 Go Cubs Go!

Amy J. - Ditto to the comments about leaving the hens in for the first part of the day. . . they’ll learn soon to lay in the nesting boxes. Once they do you can let them back out for the day at an earlier time. You technically don’t have to get rid of the rooster. He is quite handsome, btw! Chicks won’t develop unless the hens lay on them for a certain amount of time keeping them at the right temp. So if you’re collecting eggs a couple of times a day you’ll be good with no chicks. We have 2 roosters and they are to be butchered soon! I don’t mind the noise but one is terribly mean and attacks all of us but my husband. At first our oldest (who is just 6) named him “Meanie” because he would “attack” the hens, if you know what I mean. 😉 But since he’s started attacking us his name has been changed to “Dinner”!

Roganne - Yay for eggs! Chickens are SO fun! I had a couple chickens last year and they would lay their eggs all over the place and then after awhile, they would eat them if we didn’t get them fast enough :/ Someone told me to put some golf balls where you want the eggs to be laid and then they will lay their eggs there too, it’s weird but it worked great!

Tracy - Congrats on the eggs! Very exciting!

I am always in awe of your photos! They are so beautiful to see. God has given you a gift, Meg! You are so talented!

camilla - Every picture you post with your flowers amazes me! Please share…do you have a secret to getting your planters so full and lush? Do you use a certain kind of soil or fertilizer? They are so gorgeous, and they have me looking at my pathetic planters wondering how I can get them to look more like yours. 🙂
Thanks!!!

Angela - Beautiful photos meg!

Lisa - I enjoy your pictures so much . . . your lovely flowers, especially the lantana, all your pretty colors like the little blue bench under the greenery, the colors of your hens, though my favorite are your KITTENS! I just LOVE the little orange tabby. Whenever I need a little shot of happy, I come to your blog and just enjoy your photos (or to my Pinterest page where I’ve pinned several of your Kansas photos). Thanks for sharing what makes you happy – it makes a lot of other people happy, too.

Whitney - This is going to sound stalkerish, but every time I see photos of your house I always think, “I want all of the stuff in her house it all looks so beautiful! But I will never find any cool stuff like that in thrift stores here!” WELL, today, looking at these pictures I saw that you have the same ALL laundry detergent bucket I have that I got last summer at a thrift store… yay! But why does yours look so much more awesome than mine?! (My husband thinks I was crazy for buying it, btw.

Lori - Hooray for the girls! 🙂

Claire P - Aren’t chickens the funniest? I love watching ours wander around the yard. We have a rooster and find that he’s good at protecting his girls and he’s good at directing them towards food. I saw him looking at a weed the other day, thinking he was going to eat it, but he let one of the girls have it instead. Very gentlemanly haha.

I’ve heard that they tend to lay their eggs at a certain time of day (possibly earlier on) so if you keep them locked up at that time they’ll get used to laying there.

Michelle from Australia - I’ve heard of The Cat In The Hat. But the cat in a bucket? Loved the kitty in the bucket (?pail?) photos!

Danielle Lindberg - We just got chickens this spring too and the way we trained our 12 to lay in the boxes or atleast the coop is to place 5 or 6 plastic easter eggs in the boxes…this shows the chickens that “other” chikens are laying there too and therefore a safe place to lay. This trick worked like a charm! I would do this or any other tips right away so raccoons and other critters don’t get the eggs or chickens first! Good Luck!

Heaven - I have some old, wooden eggs that my kids had in their play kitchen that I leave in nesting boxes to “show” m’ladies where to lay. Works like a charm!

Jenn - Amazing photos!

elma - So exciting!! what we did with our chickens is we kept them in their run and coop and let them free roam after dinner and they all started laying their eggs in the nesting boxes:)

Sharla - I love the pics in this post! I wouldn’t even consider myself a cat person, but if I lived on a farm I would be for sure! Love that pic of the cat walking on the chairs 🙂

Lee Ann - That first egg is sooooo eggsiting!I see lots of people have mentioned plastic or wooden eggs. You can also use their own eggs. But, with free range chickens, you may have to keep them in the coop for the first part of the day (until early afternoon) if you want them to lay in the coop. If not, there are just too many wonderful places to lay out on your little farm.

Marsha Kern - I live in the country too and it is the BEST!

Mindy - Beautiful pictures, as always! You make me want chickens all over again but maybe I can just admire yours from afar : )

katie Skiff - Get yourself a golf ball retriever. Then you can pick them from the hard to reach places they like to hide them. LOL.. Your noisy comment made me laugh – I said no roosters, that coop is way to close to our bedroom window!! 😉

Amanda - Small Home Big Start - What a wonderful experience for you and your family. All the colour, flowers and animals in your photos are so inspiring. I need to find a way to surround myself with things like that that make me happy. You only get one life to live – so why not fill it with colour!

jerusalem - We had the same issue with our first batch of chickens. We just put one egg back in each of the nesting boxes and within 24 hours they were laying in the correct spot. This is where the term “nest egg” comes from. Farmers have wooden eggs that they would put in the nest to train their chickens. So the “nest egg” gets things started!

Happygirl - Yep eggs or balls in the nesting boxes will help. I wish I could have chickens. Jealous

Natalie at Oven Love - Plastic eggs, golf balls or ping pong balls placed in the boxes should do the trick- might take them a little while, but usually they catch on eventually!

Susan - Hi Meg. Can you tell me what camera you are using and do you edit the photo’s and if so what program.Iam always interested in your photo’s and especially the lighting. I am a city girl in the desert so seeing your pics from the country are always interesting.Keep more coming as you are my daily read.

Gina - I love these pictures!! What a fun place to live for your children. I hate spiders too but saw two baby snakes while walking my dogs on the path today so right now I hate snakes worse!! I was carrying a stick to knock down any spider webs at the time!! 😛 Yea for the eggs! 😀

Christy - I read if you put a couple of fake eggs in the nesting boxes it will encourage them to lay there. We have just 1 chicken and I CAN NOT wait for her to lay 🙂

Dena - Awesome pics and hooray for the eggs! check out this site for how tos on chickens:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/

Sarah B - Love that story! Last fall our hens were 6 months old and we were waiting anxiously to see eggs. I remember our sweet daughter was SO sick with a throw-up virus but Daddy found the first egg and it made our pitiful girl smile so big. It’s just so exciting when they do!!! I kept telling our “golden girls” how proud Mama was of them! Our buff orpies laid their eggs on the floor of the coop and in other weird places at first, too. They learned soon on their own to lay them in the nesting box. But if they don’t, you can buy some hollow plastic “dummy” eggs and place them where you want them to lay…that SHOULD help them learn quicker. Aren’t hens the most joyful pets?! They’re just so entertaining and adorable.

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selfies.

July 11, 2013

(that is a half eaten blueberry btw… not poop)

the chickens liked the blueberries i gave them last night.

🙂

to get shots like this i turn my phone to self portrait.
then i turn it towards them and they can't resist getting in there to see what that is….

it's so funny.

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katepickle - this is awesome!

Carrie - My friend does this with her dogs! It’s just as hilarious with the chickens!

Karen Gerstenberger - That chicken made me laugh out loud. You might need to enter that photo in a portrait contest.

Jen - I cannot “like” this enough!!!

Tiffini - love love:)

happygirl - So funny.

Sharon - I love it!

Tiffany - LOL, these are hilarious! Great laugh for a Friday afternoon at my desk. Have a great weekend Meg! (A loyal reader from Michigan) 🙂

Mindy - What fun these pictures are – just love seeing your chicks! And I love how you clarify the blueberry vs. poop : )

cindergo - And caption to photo #4: “WHAT??? I just got drawn for craft weekend?”

cindergo - I just belly laughed. AWESOME…simply awesome.

Tracy - YOU are so funny! 😉 haha

Sarah - Love it! I just hashtagged #chickenphotobomb on IG with my own little “Como Se Cluck!?”

Suzette - HI-LAR-I-OUS!

Tiffany - Too funny! Thanks for sharing. I hope you have an awesome and relaxing vacation!

Lisa - Thanks for the morning laughs with my coffee!

nora - Ha! Works the same way with toddlers 🙂

Lorie - chickens are hilarious. I don’t know why. We have 15 hens, and they LOVE produce from my garden…pea pods, strawberry tops, zucchini and watermelon rinds, etc. Feed them well, they will love you forever!

Mary - hahaha!
love these, meg!
xo

Kathy - LOL over the pics and then even more over Amy’s comments above!!! hahahahaha thanks for the Friday morning laughs!!

Southern Gal - From that angle I now see that chickens have a permanent frown on their faces. Hmm. They look like little old ladies who are not happy with the world.

amy - oh dear. I can’t help myself…I have to add quotes.
#1. “For the love of all things holy….you at the whole pie and left me THIS?”
#2. “I just photo-bombed Mildred’s pic….awesome!”
#3. “….they said the button was here somewhere…”
#4. “it’s not what it looks like!”
That was fun. Thanks for those. 🙂

gina - Ha!! Have a fun weekend! {so glad that was a blueberry!}

D. Jean - Lol, I love it. Too funny.

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the coop

June 14, 2013

back when i was trying to figure out what to do for coop… i remembered my friend Kerry's son.
he built a tree house.
he LOVES working with wood and building stuff.

so i threw it out there.

"do you think Kenton would be up for trying a project this big?"

the answer is YES.
he knocked it out of the park.

completely.

he and his dad showed up with strapped to a trailer.
and between their guys and mine… they slowly rolled it off the back of the trailer.

it wasn't graceful.

but they did it!

he added features i didn't know i would want. :)

those are drawers to pull out and clean all the poop off.

we can keep the coop much cleaner…easier.

AWESOME.

i love it kenton.
you are going to be an EXCELLENT builder when you grow up because you already are now!

the ladies love it.

talby and her friends were checking out the new home and getting the chickens all worked up.

waffle walked right into my shot!
he is doing well with being the big brother around here.
sniffs everything 100 times a day and gives plenty of licks to keep everyone in line.
kind of a "dont-forget-i-could-eat-you-in-one-bite" lick to the head or back.

i am truly turning into the crazy chicken lady.

loving this new adventure out in the country.
chickens are very funny.

hope you have a great weekend.
is it just me…or do you feel summer has not been one bit relaxing???

i am feeling that summer is not going the way i wanted.
i need to get to work on this.

because really… who is in control of that?

yep.

it's me.

operation RELAX.

coming soon to my home.

happy weekend!!!

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Torey - Totally awesome coop. You just might want some kind of rock/brick around the bottom outside to prevent weasels and raccoons from digging under. Although, if you lock up your chickens every night that shouldn’t be a problem.

Dena - Great coop! Love the picture of you with the chickens! If you havent’ found it already this website is awesome. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/

Lindsey - Wow! Kenton the carpenter did an impressive job! It looks great!

Corny - Where is the door to get into the chicken coop? How do you gather the eggs? I looked at the picture all overr, making it big and bigger but can’t find the door to the coop?

Kimberly Parker - He did an amazing job! Love the picture of Talby with the chickens; it’s so cute!

Prairie Jenn - That is one amazing boy to build such an impressive coop! I bet the chickens are happy:)
Hope your summer is chill! The key for me is not to have too many expectations;)

Tiffany - What a gift he has! Glad he could share it with you. Your girls are going to love it I there! I hope your summer starts to slow down a bit!

psmullican - Kenton did an amazing job! I hope you and your chicks enjoy your new coop!

Lisa - I am blown away that he built that beautiful coop!!! Seriously amazing!

Tracy - WOW! Kenton is very talented!!
I’m on board for operation RELAX!!!

Carol S. - Cool coop. Crazy chicken lady and relax are opposites! But think of the fun and new experience. You can relax later lol. Fun post.

Jenn - What an impressive job by an amazing young man! I grew up in farm country, but not on a farm myself. My friends, who mostly hailed from dairy and beef farms, were the most focused, industrious kids I knew. It’s an incredible life that instills work ethic, ingenuity, and a deep sense of community. Farm life is awesome. Send kudos to your young friend from a fan in Western North Carolina, and enjoy your happy brood of chickens 🙂

Kimberlee Jost - Kenton rocks!
AMAZING job.
Must be because he has amazing parents.
🙂

Barbara - Could you please tell Kenton that some lady in Missouri said he did a FANTASTIC job on your coop? He really, really did!! I couldn’t be any more tickled for the Duerksens or Kenton! Way to go!

Lise - WOW! Does he travel to Massachusetts? Amazing.

Heather - Wow! Wow! Wow! That’s amazing!

Kori - I am totally amazed! I hopped over and read the story of how it was made and all….I don’t even think my husband could do that! For real.
Kenton has a bright future ahead of him for sure!!!

Valerie @ Chateau a la mode - Good job Kenton on the coop. Meg you are so lucky to have chickens. That looks like fun. I don’t think I would be able to do that in my yard. Actually that coop is probably the size of my back yard, well the coop and the picnic table would be all that would fit in it 😉 happy weekend?,

Mindy - Your coop is just great and I love the features added. What a great job for a young man! I want chickens, I really do…I drool over all the coops and your pictures of your cute chicks. Your human chicks are pretty cute too : )

elma - WOw he did and awesome job!! He could sell these!! We bought ours from an Amish guy and it has big trays that pull out. So nice as the poop wont ruin the coop:)

christy - What an amazing coop! What a fantastic job by Kenton! I want one. The country seems to be suiting you all so well. 🙂

Southern Gal - That is one handy boy! I can’t believe he did that all by himself. And those little extra features are wonderful.

Tiffany - No way?!!! he knocked it out of the park. He did this at 13 I can’t wait to see his future designs, someone sign this kid already. Go KENTON! BUILDING ROCKSTAR EXTRAORDINAIRE.

Danielle - What a great coop! He did awesome! Love the one of you. Crazy chicken lady 🙂 awesome!

Kate - WOW!!!!
Kenton – awesome job!

jacqui anderson - wow, kenton is amazing! and i love those glasses!! where did you find them?

beth larson - Dear crazy chicken lady—– your blog is so wonderful— I just hate it if you don’t post for a day or two. (love your life and all you are)
That chicken coop is the cat’s meow- and the lad who made it? amazing! (plus he looks pretty young-wowsie!)
off to finish planting flower seeds- here in Minnesota on a very nice day -finally!
xo beth

Gemma - Such an amazing job he’s done! His mother must be so proud!
D you think you’ll be doing a summer list this year?
Gemma xxx

Katie - How utterly incredible!! Kenton is a teen GENIUS. What lucky chickens 🙂 xx

Tere - Love the coop. The ladies are looking fine. Everytime I see “Backyard Poultry” in the magazine aisle, I think of you.
We haven’t even finished the school year. Have you read Jen Hatmaker’s latest blog post Surviving Summer — it’s great! http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/06/13/surviving-summer

Julie - Planter boxes are good for kids to start on – my 9 year old son made me some out of old wooden pallets. He had a bit of help from his dad pulling the pallets to bits and using the skill saw only.

Julie - That coop is fabulous – how old is that boy? i predict he will have a great future ahead of him. He has done a beautiful job. You will have to tell him how impressed all your readers are from near and far.

chrissi - this kid is good! i am amazed. great job Kenton!!!

Stephanie - That boy has some skills!!

Kerry Wiebe - Megs, I’m SO glad you liked it! He loved coming up with the different features. Thanks for giving him the job!

Melissa - Oh my goodness that looks so neat. Wow what an amazing job he did. I needed him as my neighbor.

shar y - I have never in my life thought a chicken was that cute. But your photos of chickens are incredible! They really bring them to life! I absolutely love seeing those chickens of yours! And the coop, wow! Amazing!

lisa currie-gurney - that coop is amazing!!! He must be a home schooler. 😉

Seriously Sassy Mama - Happy weekend. Chickens an be so pretty.

Suzette - Amazing job, Kenton! I have a 14-year-old that wouldn’t even know where to begin building a coop (or anything for that matter). It’s one of the problems with living in the suburbs. But, I’m going to remedy that this summer…maybe we’ll start with a dog house or better yet a planter box.

jamie - how old is kenton? what an amazing job! and the clever poop drawers. what a talented young man.

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monday…

June 3, 2013

normally after a Craft Weekend i get to sleep all day on Monday to catch up from all the missed hours over the weekend.
but not this time.
it's summer and my kids are home ready to go go go to all their activities.
i am not sure if i am awake or not right now.

our weekend was really nice!
great helpers make everything run so smoothly…and enjoyable!

i took all these pictures last week when i was running into town to pick up scott.
i was not sure if i should be nervous or not.
it was just a really big rain storm.
i love getting to watch storms in the daylight.

i took all of these with my phone. :)

ok… gotta run to another sporty thing.

i am so sleepy.

🙂

missing you craft weekend ladies already!!

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Jenn A. - Oh my gosh! All of that open space is making me want to just get in the car and DRIVE!
Gorgeous photos.

Tiffany - Do you ever share your pictures? I am in LOVE with the sixth from the top and would love to have a copy of it!

Heidi Jo the Artist - Love these photos! Makes me miss the country, can’t get photos like this in town, that is for sure.

Jen - Very cool storm pictures, Meg. I hope you got a restful night’s sleep last night!

Meaghan - I live in Portland now after growing up 15 minutes from the Canadian border in New York State. I totally agree with you about missing the blizzards and thunderstorms!

tracy a - Hi Meg, I linked over here from Ashley’s blog…I’ve tried looking at the craft weekend link, but it keeps coming up blank! Any ideas? It sure does look like an amazing time!

Susanne - I live in about the most NW of the Pacific NW a person can (I’m north of Seattle, about 15 minutes from the Canadian border). I grew up in NE – had family and visited TX a lot growing up – – there are no storms here – – after all the events in the last few weeks, maybe I should be grateful for that, but two things I really miss – – a real blizzard and a good window rattling thunderstorm! Thanks for sharing the photos!

Alice H - Its amazing how beautiful a storm can look but how dangerous it can quickly turn. I am just so sick by all the tornadoes that keep hitting my home state and how many lives the tornadoes have taken.
Great pictures!!

Gina - Pretty pictures!! It is always surprising what awesome pics can be captured by a phone. Enjoy your summer!

Pat - Meg, you live in such a beautiful area. Love your gorgeous pics.

Kori - These pictures remind me of being under a wave in the ocean.

Barbara (WA) - I can enjoy photos like this when I know they don’t include a tornado! I do love clouds of all types.

paige - what gorgeous country!

Stephanie - Love the big Kansas sky. I literally crave going back. I’m in FL right now and it’s just….blah. Lol.

Kimberly - Wow! We sure don’t see a sky like that where I live!

Linda - what beautiful pictures. I never have fabulous pictures with my phone and I have an iPhone 5 which is suppose to be awesome. Must be me!!!

Julie - Storm photos are always so neat to look at, especially with really dark sky and that special light they seem to cast.

Debbie Hargadon - I miss midwest summer rain storms — but not the tornadoes. The national nightly news with the HUGE red stripe through the central states maps looks so bad — these photos are nicer. Glad no tornadoes have hit in your area. The fields are beautiful. LOVE the green and all the color contracts. Where is any traffic? Not one other car anywhere? I forget that is how it can be. You can hear the quiet in the photos. Loved them! 🙂 thanks.

beth larson - Oh Meg…I loved all these tumultuous sky photos…each one is compelling, but the whole bunch of them together is really cool!
like you…. : )
xo

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