whatever

Juanita Johnson - We’ve had a variety of chicken breeds over the years, and my favorite breed is the Barred Rock. They have black and white stripes and are very calm and will follow you around like a shadow, and easy to catch. They are good layers, too, nice brown eggs. Ameraucana’s have beautiful blue/green eggs, but are a bit more suspicious of people and other animals. A rooster is good to have if the chickens will free-range, but they will terrorize anything and everyone that enters their ‘zone of patrol’. Roosters have made for lots of funny memories for my girls, but they still tell the stories with a tremble in their voice! NEVER more than one rooster, just sayin’. Chickens do something for the soul, you should totally get some in the spring, but order from a hatchery or get from a mom and pop feed store, that will order for you. Can’t wait to hear the adventures!

Prairie Jenn - Yay for chickens! You can get pullets at Tractor Supply Company in the spring (March and April) if you have one around there. That way you are sure to get chicks that are female…plus you can get just a few to start. The red sex link hens (which are actually orange-ish) are good layers that give those pretty brown eggs. Chickens are so easy, and my girls think they are the best pets;)
Costumes here are usually homemade, but last year we found a tiny local costume shop where this older lady creates costumes from things she finds at yard sales and thrift stores:) She comes up with some amazing creations and themes! Last year, we left with a pirate costume for me, a gypsy costume for my oldest, and a fifties costume for my youngest. Too fun!

Kelly - My sil and I were just talking about the costume thing. I really thought I would be a make the costumes get all creative kind of mom. I loved to help make my Halloween costumes growing up and my mom kindly obliged. I wanted to be all sorts of unique things like an African princess, etc. We would just use things we had on hand, borrow things from my grandma, sometimes buy a thing or two and just make the costumes up.
My son’s first Halloween I bought cheap jeans and an “ugly” plaid shirt at a kids’ consignment sale and then used yarn and raffia and made him a scarecrow. I had a lot of fun with it. Last year we were walking through Marshall’s and there was an adorable monkey costume for (gasp) $20 and he really liked monkeys at the time and I tried it on him and it was all over, we were getting it.
This year he really doesn’t even know what dressing up is still and I think I’ll just have him wear the monkey costume again.
I think I may get more into it when my kids can request to be certain things but right now it feels like a lot of effort for one night for what? Praise for my cute costume making skills? I need to not be addicted to that kind of praise and I know my tendency to care to much so I feel like the pendulum has kind of swung the other way.
It’s good for now and works for us for now. We’ll see what the future brings. Kelly

Ani G W - This year will be my first year making a costume. I am making my 4 year a raccoon costume because I couldn’t find a kid’s grey raccoon costume! 🙂 So this year my 4 year old will be wearing a homemade costume, my 9 year old will be wearing one he already had (his choice) and my 2 year old will be wearing a new bought costume (which I bought online).

Heather - It varies from year to year here. Some years I make them. Some years I buy at full price. Some years I find them second hand. And I’m okay with that.
One Halloween I was totally stressed about the pumpkin carving. I was in the habit of getting five or six and intricately stencil carving all of them. I was tired that year and bitchy, to be honest, and regretting getting so many.
My husband and kids asked if they could do them. I went into full panic. They’ll look like heck, they won’t be at all photoshoot ready, what would Martha think? Then I thought, if I don’t want to do them, why make myself. And I let go. And they did them. And they were beautifully imperfect pumpkins. And they had FUN (pumpkin carving with me is NOT fun, I’m far too intense about it). I got to cross something off my list.
So, the way I’d look at this is that you might have spent more than normal BUT it’s done weeks ahead of time. The kids are happy. It’s crossed off your list.
It’s all good.

Valerie @ Chateau A La Mode - I actually made costumes for my oldest two for a couple of years and since then we always bought costumes. Of course my youngest reminds me that I never made her a costume…ouch! No more costumes now though cuz they are older.
Good luck on the big chicken adventure. Can’t wait to follow that. I toy with the idea of having chickens too. I think I would like that, fresh eggs and all, but chickens are a little creepy. I’m not sure I really want to commit to raising chickens. I have a feeling I’d be a little like Lucy when she raises chickens on I Love Lucy 🙂

Aby - My niece used to have a chicken named Percy. I have always LOVED that name for a chicken!! lol

Routhie - I buy my girls costumes every year because they play with them until they don’t fit and the older girl’s costume is happily accepted (for now) as a hand-me-down to our younger girl. We don’t always buy the pre-packaged costumes, though. We have a great church thrift store nearby to sift through for inspiration and, sometimes, we are even able to pull something together from what we’ve already got. It’s our yearly indulgence, along with Christmas dresses. 🙂

jen - i just discovered that our neighbour has chickens! i couldn’t figure out what the noise was and he other day i went peeking through the hedge and saw them!! i was hearing the clucking. i would love to get chickens but i am terribly nervous around birds so i don’t know if it would work.
for costumes we have lucked out on great deals {my mom picked up every disney princess dress for $5 each one year – those have been in rotation for 4 years} last year my daughter wanted to be the Bride of Frankenstein and after everything i went through it would have been cheaper to buy something :s. this year i bought some at costco. i have too many other things i want to make – like decorations – that they were happy with them – ariel & iron man. suits me fine!! check!

stephanie - Oh! We moved to this subdivision and they said we couldn’t keep chickens. I am thinking about doing it anyway. 😛 My kids and I want them so bad! They like Buff Orpingtons and I like Copper Marans. Beautiful eggs!

Lisa - I use to buy new costumes but once we added child 3 and 4 it got too expensive. Now I buy clearance after Halloween or they have to figure out a costume from what we have. We go to goodwill sometimes too. And if they need an accessory for 5$ or less I might help with that. My 11yr old spent her own money to buy what she wanted for this year! Every years been a little different. 🙂

Rachel Spin - Miz Booshay has a picture on her blog today that you would really love. I thought of you immediately when I saw it. It’s the very first one. http://booshay.blogspot.com/2012/10/nest.html
Cute chickens! Cuter girls.

Michelle Whitlow - I have made costumes & bought them. Last year I made my 2 older kids’ costumes. The 3 went as Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter & the baby was the White Rabbit. I made the Alice costume, for my son I made the pants, found a jacket at a thrift shop, the hat & wig at a Halloween store & decorated with a scarf I made & made the big bow tie. For the baby I bought the rabbit ears but then bought a pink tutu & pink & white striped shirt at Target, easy peasy. I have pics on my old blog: http://meandmyscraps.blogspot.com/2011/11/halloween-in-new-town.html
This year I bought costumes…one of which was bought last on clearance. Love doing that! Usually I just do that for dress up clothes but it ended up working out well for the little one’s costume. My oldest is going to be an 80s girl (fun!) and my son is a werewolf. We’re going easy this year! The little one is going to be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz so I’m going to be the scarecrow (from some thrift store clothes) and I bought some fur to make a lion’s mane for my lab. And maybe I’ll make my hubby be the tin man 🙂

Jennifer - A friend of mine has chickens and she named them all after the Desperate Housewives! So funny. Bree, Lynette, etc. :o)

mama lola - yum, fresh farm eggs! we are an egg free family now as my eldest is allergic, but i do love a good chicken n’ egg picture!
as for costumes… never buy new. always borrow from friends or buy second hand or on the clearance rack!

jackie grandy - Your photos of the chickens are awesome! I love how kids just blurt things out. They speak with their hearts and not always their minds, but I love it. We should remember as adults to do that more often, you never know what it could bring. My brother in-law is raising chickens and he lives in MN. He is so into it and he installed this tree branch for them to hang out on, I guess chickens love hanging on branches, go figure. Anyway the eggs that they produced, were the best eggs I have ever eaten. I would love to raise some chickens, but we don’t have a big enough yard.
We’re still undecided about Halloween costumes over here. We always buy part of the costume and then throw together the rest ourselves. My daughter is going to be the 10th doctor from Dr. Who, for any of you Dr. Who fans out there, you will know who that is. My son wants to be a ninja. He makes these organimi ninja stars out of paper all the time so that is where he got the idea. We haven’t gotten his costume yet, of course.
I don’t make costumes from scratch because I’m not the craftiest person (per my daughter). I wish I was better at sewing etc. Maybe I will just have to sign up for one of your craft weekends and learn a few things!
xoxo,
Jackie

Lauren - I can’t even imagine the fun you’d have with chickens!!! So exciting!

Pamela Fitzgerald - Hi Meg,
I have 3 kids and I always am on the hunt for discounted costumes or something at the local thrift store. When I was growing up we made our costumes from things we had around the house…it was soo much fun. It is really expensive to buy costumes….I feel your pain!!…Pamela

Leah - I’m with you on the costumes. I usually create something from scratch. Or I will buy costumes at resale and Goodwill stores. That’s how we found Cinderella last year. This year I told my daughter she can only wear one of the many dress-up outfits she has at home. And believe me, there is no shortage!

Kelly Henderson - I made costumes with the first three kids… always. And then number four came along. Thrift stores became my go to Halloween costume place. Two years ago, I caved and bought the expensive costumes from the catalog costume for youngest child… I have been defeated now 🙂 This year the youngest (girl) wants to go as a Smore… planning to make a costume again with a large brown cardboard box and pillows. Hah! This should be interesting… don’t stress or feel like you’ve caved…it’s no biggie.

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State - We usually get new babies in spring. Rhode Island Reds are great hens, and I love Araucanas with their blue eggs.

Michelle - I made Tate’s costume this year, she’s going to be a peacock and even I was slightly impressed with myself. It turned out much better than this non-sewing, only slightly crafty Mama thought. Finn wants to be Hulk and has ZERO interest in me making something for him, so we’ll buy that one.
So what are the girls going as?

Dana - I would love to have chickens, but live in a suburb and they don’t allow it.
I’ve always bought Halloween costumes for my now 11 year old, but in the last few years Halloween has become less of a big deal. Since I have an 11 year old and 1 year old this year only bought the baby a costume. I’m also 4 months pregnant and this baby will probably wear hand me downs. I hope it’s a girl or we may have to die the hot pink zebra costume.

got2havefaith - This year Halloween is even more of a pain. My daughter whined that she really, really wanted to be a zombie bride, then we go to the thift sore to “make” the costume before October 1st (way too early), now she whines some more that maybe she doesn’t want to be that anymore! Ugh. I will not buy another costume! {repeat} I put a $20 limit on costumes. Thankfully my 6 year old was super easy this year. But the 10 year old is killing with the whining to go to a big name Halloween store with over priced costumes.

Anne - I vary from year to year. Last year I created and this year I purchased. I just have to do what my schedule allows and this year I just didn’t have time to get anything created.

Melinda - When our girls will little, we made costumes, usually out of sweats, felt, and yarn. Now they are 16, 13, and 10. Five years ago we got invited to a huge Halloween bash, given by some clients who are now friends (and they’ve spent a LOT of money with us). We feel a little obligated to do up the costumes in a big way, since they’ve done so much for us. It’s always a family theme. Two years we were a wild west saloon scene. This year we are all going to be pirates. But the best year was when we ALL went as witches (hubby included). He was an extremely disturbing female witch, and everyone loved it! Not usually a fan of Halloween, but this makes it fun for us.

Heather S. - I would totally have chickens if we could. We live in a neighborhood where everyone has a little land (like 3+ acres), but the rules state NO LIVESTOCK! Pooey!