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old coop – new home

June 28, 2014

some friends of ours came to our rescue and offered to help us move the chicken coop to our new house.
i am naive and thought it would be easy.
i thought the big equipment would come and lift it up… drive it over… set it down.
that did happen.
but with lots of stuff in-between.

once it is up in the air or on the trailer suddenly it looks like a really big coop!

we wrangled up the chickens and put them in our dog kennel.
i drove this car full of kids and chickens to the new house.
this was the extent of how i contributed to this project.
i WANTED to help but i have no skill in this area at all so i was totally in the way.
but i CAN drive chickens in a dog kennel!

at least we only had to go 1.5 miles!

then they took it off the trailer and the way it worked 1.5 miles before… stopped working.
hmmmm….
now what?
it was a beautiful night and everyone was out for a walk… so we drew a crowd.
more people meant more ideas… more resources… more muscle.
it was AWESOME!
and we even met some of our new neighbors!

a sloooooow drive down our “alley” with a parade of helpers.
and me… doing nothing other than take pictures.
(i serioulsy wanted to crawl under a rock. i was thinking “WHY did we ever get chickens? this is such a mess?!! holy cow i wish this was not my chicken coop!)
we put it down in the vegetable garden.
i don’t actually know how to have a vegetable garden so this seems like a much better use of the space.

this was a task way over our heads and we clearly needed friends.
it was a gift that they gave us their time and resources.
we were so grateful for all the help!

these ladies seem to really like the new neighborhood!

THANK YOU Vogts!!!

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teresa - How wonderful to have great friends to help…Wish I had space for a coop…Thanks for sharing.
Happy Day

Diana - Wow, what a chore, huh. Coops are crazy things to move, we did a couple for my cousins years back. I bet the chickens were glad to be back in their home. Pretty chickens, those are my favorites. 🙂

kerry - Thank goodness it was well constructed HA!

Jen - It looks as though it was meant to be where it is. Lovely.

Lisa - We had to do this with a shed we had built, which really didn’t look that big in our back yard, but looked huge, and heavy, when we had to put it up on a flatbed truck. Then we had to drive about 20 miles, right through the main part of our new town, with about 4 pickup trucks behind the flatbed full of our household stuff/furniture, etc. We laughed, calling ourselves the Hillbillies, and wouldn’t our new community welcome us! Friends are awesome, and I always try to volunteer to help others because I remember how important the help of our friends was that crazy moving day. Glad you finally have the whole family together!

Leslie - Hi. Just wondering if you ever posted how you made your coop. Next year we will be building a coop (probably adding onto our small shed that already exists) and I love how cute yours is. If you have any tips that would be awesome as we’ve never had chickens before. I’d love some chicken tips- there’s so much information out there it gets confusing. Maybe a “All about chickens” post in the future? Love your blog- such beautiful motivation to work out, eat healthy, to have fun with family, and to create beautiful spaces in our homes and yard. Keep up the awesome-sauce. I love that your life is messy and real and fun- not like some blogs that are always a little too immaculate and dreamy (which is not real life with kids). I read your blog and smile instead of think about how my life compares. Because mine is pretty messy fun awesome too!
🙂 Leslie

Diane - Now you have to start a veggie garden!

Mindy - I always love your chicken posts so I am happy they made the move. Your coop is so cute and they look at home already. You have great friends and what a bonus to give the new neighbors an excuse to visit : ) Looking forward to more chicken news…

Seamingly Sarah - Friends and help are such a wonderful blessing, but I would’ve been like you too, trying to hide under a rock! I don’t like asking for help,or drawing attention, but the blessings from God are there for us none the less.

Jennifer - That is the prettiest chicken coop I’ve every seen! It’s perfect there! It would make a great print! Totally agree with Karina.

Karina - I see a few chicken posters in your future…You can contribute artistically! And I am sure the Vogts will appreciate some free eggs. Good neighbours are worth more than their weight in gold!

Jenny B. - So pretty with the chickens in the flowers! 🙂

redheadsarah - The coop looks like it was made to be in your vegetable garden! I’m glad you got it set up. 🙂

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the ladies.

January 23, 2014

chickens are super weird.
and also very tame… and enjoyable to watch or interact with.
right now i am trying to introduce them to stanley without him chasing them through the yard.
chick5
on this particular day i moved their water to a new spot.
you would think they never had water in their entire lives before this.
so silly.
chick1
our black and white chicken is the prettiest but she likes people the least of all of them.
chick2
then spanky decided it WAS the best water in the whole world and she had to have some too!
see how tame they are… they share! 🙂
then i was working on tricks… getting them to jump for a piece of food.
so funny to watch!
i posted a video on IG in september of annie doing this trick with them.
for these pictures it was only me outside so while sitting on the step i held my camera with my knees and got the focus where i wanted it and then with my left hand i held the treat in the air and with my right hand i pushed the button to take the pictures when they jumped.
i think the jumping pictures are hilarious! chick4 chick7 chick6 chick3

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Josy - So funny! #jumpingchickens should be a new hashtag!

Susan W - Jumping chickens — hilarious! Love those photos! Looks like Spanky wants to be in the Ladies club. So we really can all just get along- why can’t it always be that easy?
Thanks for the smile you gave me and for sharing all that you do!
Your a blessing!

phyllis - hahahaaaa!!!! so very cute!!! I have 11 chickens, mostly bantams and they are my precious babies. We do lots of things but I had not thought of jumping photos! Maybe you can capture a chest bump!

maryp - Here’s something stupid: I don’t like the black and white chickens because I think that they look so pretty and soft and cuddly, which makes me want to hug them for 45 minutes…but I know that they wouldn’t like that and that makes me sad.

I’m full of logic like that.

Karen Gerstenberger - You’re right – the jumping pictures ARE hilarious! Thanks for sharing.

Mindy - Oh how I love your “ladies” and the jumping pictures just made my day – fantastic!

Dianne - I laughed way too hard at the jumping chicken pictures. You should put them on a canvas!!!

Julie - Oh, I want some chickens so bad! Our next house is going to be an acreage with plenty of space for roaming chickens! Their poop is perhaps the best part — great fertilizer! My only little hangup is that they always look so mad, what with their down-turned beaks. It makes me a little frightened, they look so feisty all the time. 😉

Michele - I can’t stop laughing at the jumping pictures!!

Jackie - I don’t think I have ever given much thought to a jumping chicken, too funny!

Jan - Chickens are funny. We had them years ago and my son loved to feed them and gather the eggs. Your pictures make me miss them!

Mj - Hilarious! Who would have thought jumping chickens!

Michelle Whitlow - Wow, they have gotten BIG!!! How old are they now??

Ruth - Those pictures are hilarious. But how do you deal with the chicken poop? Does it track in on your shoes? Are your chickens potty-trained? 🙂

Tiffany - I am fascinated. I am a self proclaimed CITY girl (Philly), I now live in the ‘burbs. I an floored that you have chickens for pets. Floored that you own SIX chickens. I am looking at these pictures searching for the buffalo wing parts (sad but true). Wondering what you do with all the eggs? Wondering if they need to be entertained? What temperatures do they like? Do they get cold? What do they eat? Why are they so tame? So many questions. Fascinated I tell you. Thank you world wide web for opening up my little bitty world.

Susan - We had a hen an a rooster raised from eggs (school project) for about 6 months and they were so much fun! Our rooster would sit in my husband’s lap and loved to have under his chin scratched! I miss those days but we live in the city and the neighbors were getting tired of the 5:00 wake up call!

dana - They look like they’re having a tea party at the table. 🙂 What kind is your black girl? Our prettiest chicken is the least friendly, too…until this week when she FINALLY at 9 months old started laying. She saved her feathers by days.

Necole@seriouslysassymama - I love chickens. I am about to go eat some right now. (Sorry, not really funny, but funny just the same.) My husband wants some so bad, but you have to have more than 3 acres where we live to have them, which I think is dumb because people have dogs.

julie - Thanks for my first laugh of the morning! Great shots.!

KirstenP - The jumping pictures ARE hilarious!!!! Thanks for adding a chuckle to my snowy, very cold day!

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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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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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this week….

May 17, 2013

we have had a FULL week with more excitement still to come.

life skills being taught….

waffle was naughty and completely dorky as usual.
he got on the couch while i was still home!
how is he smart enough to know not to get on when craig is home and that i won't do anything?
it's crazy.
he slept with his leg up in the air for a long time.

ha ha haaaaaaa

read this in The Message this week….

"His love was not cautious but extravagant"

the kids tried to dress up the chickens with american girl doll clothes.
but realized chickens don't have arms to make it work.
it was funny to try though.

one of these days those chicks will be gone & we will know that they learned how to hot wire Barbie's car…

i like having lunch with my kids.
i wish i had done it with my older kids.
i didn't know that was a thing that people did.
your kids would love it if you showed up too. (with no other siblings… just you… and fast food)

campfires are pretty much the best thing ever.
i have tried my best to keep all s'more ingredients stocked all all times at our house.

mother's day was a very nice day.
i try very hard to keep expectations VERY low and that helps to keep the day flowing well.
i was treated to homemade cards by the little girls…. and cashed in that free coffee immediately.

after church i went in my bedroom and shut the door and relaxed while my family made the entire lunch.
what a nice treat to come out to a completely set table AND food.

then i went straight back in my room while they cleaned it up.

best mother's day i have had in many years.

gardening this year in pots only….this is a huge relief to me.
the thought of gardening was LOOMING over me and i wasn't excited about it.
but this is perfect!

lauren is done with high school.
forever.
it's so crazy how fast that passed!
we are so proud that she made it through with excellent grades and can't wait to see her future unfold.

her graduation is sunday afternoon.
it's been an emotional week….

this is what happens on a daily basis here.
if we don't do the dishes every 18-24 hours… it looks like this.
NO JOKE.
we even ate on paper plates that day!

i sported pigtails today.
after a 3 week break…. i went out for a run with my friends this morning.

it was short & sweet but felt so good to remember that i did still know how to run. :)

as i drank my second cup of coffee i looked down and realized i was a rainbow of colors.

so… we have a very busy weekend filled with parties to attend & to give, basketball, shopping, cleaning, rainbow cake making, graduation cermony and grandparents coming.

what do you have going on in your life?

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s - Love the kitchen sink pic…I keep up with the dishes but not so much the clutter and piles…sigh

misty - meg, you have to read this blog post
http://lullabylubbock.blogspot.com/2013/04/rainbows.html
Kristen loves a rainbow as much as you 🙂 She is another fave blogger of mine & I messaged her about your blog too. I think you’ll love her sweet post

Rachel S - I discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and I have to tell you I’m addicted. I love how you show your real life, (with real messes in kitchens), the Scriptures, life with kids, the crafts (oh how I’d LOVE to be able to come to a craft weekend!!), the photos, etc. I have 3 kids and my oldest will graduate next year. It’s already hard on me, so I look forward to hearing how you make it through the change in seasons. So thank you for sharing your life with us! 🙂 Have a happy day!

miranda - Love your post today I laughed at those crazy chicks~~ and congrats on everything!!!!

Whitney - Oh my goodness, how is she old enough to graduate! They are growing up (too quickly) before our very eyes! Congratulations Lauren! Excited to see what the next step for her is!

mary - Love that you showed your dishes. my three kids are under five and this is how my kitchen looks after 24 hours of no doing dishes. Refreshing to see real life with kids. I used to panic when there would be a knock on the door when the kitchen looked like this, I am learning more and more that this is real life and it is good to share real life with people. Thanks for being real it helps me continue to be authentic too.

Victoria - Congratulations on the graduate! I know you guys must be proud.
Loving the littles dressing the chickens up in clothes!

Mindy - Oh, those chicken pictures make my heart happy – and the verse from the message makes it happier yet!

Connie - Congratulations to your daughter!! Thanks for the honest picture of your kitchen….nice to know I’m not alone!

Kari - congrats to lauren! that is great…
glad to see mine is not the only kitchen that looks like that 🙂 my oldest is playing 60 baseball games this year – youngest playing also – add in all the other end of the year stuff with a dance recital in there too and it’s been CRAZY! have a great weekend!

Vera - My three year old boy (who happened to be naked at the time) saw the chickens in the car and said “MOMMY! Get my clothes on! I want to go to that family’s house!” 🙂

colleen - Such a great post… I love the part about keeping expectations low on mother’s day so you can enjoy it. Congrats to your oldest graduating from high school.. how wonderful that she let you announce it on the blog… 12 years of school done.. not a small achievement for her or for you.
Love your spirit as well as your ability to “roll” with whatever life gives you!
Colleen

Barb - Hi Meg, could you please tell me what translation of the Bible you have? Thanks for the beautiful post! Barb

Tiffany - I love that you and your family love those chickens so much! I’m so glad you had a nice Mother’s Day too. Congratulations to Lauren! What a beautiful young woman (must take after her mama!).
Hubby is gone on a 4-wheeling weekend, so I’ve got the single parent gig going on. I hope to plant our flowers tomorrow, and hit up the Children’s Museum Sunday. Not nearly as exciting as your weekend, but I love my family time!
I hope you enjoy yours this weekend too!

Kori - Animal teeth always crack me up!
I had lunch with my son weekly if not a couple times a week when he was younger and loved it…it was a great way (better than volunteering in class, I think) to meet more of his friends and see what *really* goes on at lunch – both with the kids and the playground staff. He loved when I got there to stay and hated when I tried to make it a ‘going out’ lunch…he wanted to eat and then be able to run off to play, not be stuck with me in a car!!
Hope you have time to catch your breath in the coming days…
🙂

Michelle from Australia - My Dad has shingles 🙁 My daughter who has been vaccinated against chicken pox got them this week. Blisters, itchiness and one upset girl who couldn’t go to school. My son goes into hospital next Monday for surgery. We asked him what he wanted for a treat dinner the night before his operation. He said SMORES. We had them at Yosemite NP last year. So I went out and got ingredients as close to SMORES as you could find in Australia. And we are all ready for SMORES tonight and tomorrow. Here’s hoping we get through next week with God’s help and grace.

Tiffany - My son just turned 17, i am mentally wigging out about graduation next year. Dogs are smart! Waffle had got your #. Please photograph the Chicken Run, hilarious. Its so hard not to vent with your girls, but God is right there is a dofference between venting and back-biting, sigggh. How did none of your kids get your eyes? They are striking! Enjoy your weekend, im off to have another malibu-bu. TGIF.

Jennifer - Love all your pictures…and that Waffle….he is a hoot! 🙂

Sara Torbett - What a lovely post! The chicken pictures and Waffle’s close-up made me laugh :). Congrats to Lauren! I imagine it’s a bittersweet time for you…..I hope all your graduation festivities are lovely (I’d be bawling like a baby…..I’m tearing up at the thought even and I still have two tiny babies! Oh dear)
Your flowers are gorgeous…and who has time for massive flowerbeds when there are crafts to make and meals to cook? We don’t-we use flower pots too. 🙂 This weekend we’re getting some family pics made..wish me luck (two babies under two)

Kerry @ Made For Real - That looks like our dog. Exactly! Love the potted plants and love having an older set and younger set of kids as well : )

Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - WOW, Congratulations Lauren! Seriously where does the time go?! My oldest(9) is at a two day sleepover and Im getting ready to take my baby girl(ahem…7) to gymnastics. I remember the days of crying in the church nursery thinking “I’m NEVER gonna sit in another adult service ever again…I’ll be here FOREVER!!!” I blinked and those days are gone. But yet theres so much great stuff to look forward to also.
Have a wonderful weekend! Keep the tissues close by.

Amy - I try to eat with my boys at least once a month at school. Of course, little sister is usually with me. But they love that. One likes to go off campus, one likes to have it brought to him and eat in the cafeteria. Hilarious. But it’s always fun. Of course, despite saying I’d shoot for once a month, I think this second semester I did it twice. And that includes this week. {ouch} By the way, love that pic of Lauren. She’s beautiful!!!

Hanny Norton-van der Valk - congratulations to Lauren, well done. Here in the UK it is still quite cold and I.ve just put the heating on to warm it up a bit. Also still having a lot of rain. We were hoping to go sailing tomorrow, but the winds will be too strong, so I probably will do a bit of gardening. I hope your weather is a lot better. Have a lovely time Sunday, you must be so proud of your daughter.

amy jupin - i’m totally tripping that lauren is graduating.
waffle is a dork and i love him.
annie looks like she’s in middle school and i want it all to stop.
the growing, the maturing, the time slipping by so quickly.
love you meg.

sally - Awww, your daughter is so beautiful!! Congrats to her and so happy we got to see her. 😉 I’m sure you are proud! I just read depressing news in the local newspaper about the economy and I came here and now I am smiling and Happy!! That is why I LOVE your blog…I leave happy!! 🙂

Shelly Massey - My happy moment this week was when the canvas of your wet watercolors photo arrived here! HAPPY DAY! I smile every time I walk by it. Thank you!

Janelle - I adore your messy kitchen picture. Wish more people would share those 😉

Heather Simnitt - My eye caught “basketball.” Basketball? In May? Really? It’s all baseball and soccer around here now. And recitals – oh the recitals! Last week piano, this week ballet. After that it’s all planning for vacay. It’s T-11 days! So READY!!!

shar y - Oh, how I cried when my first child graduated. Happy and sad all at the same time.
And, the chickens in the Barbie car, funniest thing I have seen all week. What a hoot!
thanks!

Nancy - I love the honesty of your kitchen picture. I have been reading your blog forever but I am not much of a commenter. My youngest is graduating from HS and I have a grad party pin board – http://pinterest.com/nancyhts/graduation/
Enjoy!

Cathy - Hey..hey what are you doing taking pictures of MY kitchen.. he he.. our kitchen always looks like that.. I have to stop ask myself, “why when I fill the dishwasher are there still dishes left that won’t fit”

Jessica - High school graduation, how exciting!!! Congrats to Lauren!

Tonya - Congrates to you and your daughter. my oldest son just graduated from College. Take tissue with you to the ceramony!!!

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national geographic

May 11, 2013

first push play on this video and then enjoy photos of our two tiniest yellow chickens fighting.

🙂

or whatever it is they are doing….

they never hurt each other…just playing.

i threw these in to show off her fluffy leg feathers.

she looks like she is wearing slippers.

do you have big mother's day plans?

i told my kids that i want the house to stay clean for an entire week.

i even bought a bunch of cleaning supplies to help them out.

sean said "ummmm….. i would just rather buy you something"

at least he is honest.

i hope your day goes great tomorrow no matter what you do.

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Tami - Those chicks are establishing pecking order. You will know soon what the order is. It is very obvious in our coop of 9 hens.

Christina - Those chicken pictures! Oh my goodness…they made me think of Game of Thrones. haha!

Alice H - Your Sean sounds like my Zack…he is 12 years old and I think at this season he is more difficult (not always in a bad way!) than my 14 year old daughter. Happy late Mother’s Day!!

Joanie - Yep, my thought too! Surprise, surprise!! 🙂

Tiffany - That is so awesome! Thank you for sharing! Do you ever do video with your camera? Mark 3, right? I’ve been saving up and am close to making the purchase, but someone at National Camera said the video has a steeper learning curve with the Mark 3.

Julie S - I am doing a major cleaning job in preparation for a graduation party this Saturday and a birthday party next Saturday. As I was cleaning this past weekend I told the senior boy (you know, the one for whom the party is for this Saturday) that I need the house to stay clean for two weeks. I really just need people to put their things away and not drop and run like they usually do making my house look chaotic 15 minutes after I am done cleaning and putting away. His reply, “yeah right.” Honest, maybe. Selfish, absolutely. Good luck on getting your house cleaned. Hopefully one or maybe even several of your kids will do a nice thing for their mom this week.

Emilie - I agree with Lucy!
That black one is going to be beautiful, looks just like my Edie, a black Cochin.

lucy - can almost guarantee those 2 chicks are roosters 🙂

Carol S. - Just on our way from lunch and playing at a Tennessee state park. Pretty day, full and content. Don’t know how you do it Meg…cleaning up after chicks would put me over the edge. Grateful for good mom blogs today! Happy Mothers Day!

Lisa - I have just put all my kids to bed at the end of our mothers day here in Australia. It was a lovely day of no meal preparation at all! Hubby took care of it, this in itself was an incredible thoughtful gift.
Enjoy your day tomorrow.
xx

Kirsten J - They’re such funny creatures! Kids and chicks -ha! I said for Mother’s Day I’d love to be locked in my craft room for the day (wish I had a craft house to escape to) but I’m going to be spending the day watching my girl play softball. Happy Mother’s Day, I hope one of your kiddos cleans a little 🙂

Kate - Killing. Me. Hilarious. 🙂

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