Thankful

Where do I even start. What a day. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Cool in the morning for setting things up, but the sun was out all day with just a gentle breeze to keep things pleasant. I requested the same weather on the form for suggestions for next years show. I hope they can do it. The people in charge of the show were kind and spoiled us with breakfast, water bottles, and late afternoon cider, fruit and cookies.

We don't know the lady on the left but she looks nice.

I have to tell you about my girlfriend. Fast friends since the 8th grade. In spite of never living in the same area or state for long, our friendship couldn't be stronger. I just feel so blessed to have a friend like her. She is hysterically funny, when we were young with young girl bladders, I don't remember a time when our pants weren't wet. She's also an amazing painter. Watercolor is a difficult medium. She was asked to donate a piece to the city of Charlevoix for their Venetian Art Festival last year. First of all what an honor in itself. So her work was on posters, t-shirts, everywhere. So then the original piece goes to auction. $10,000!!!! Can you believe it? She is very modest and would get embarrassed when I told that to people yesterday. (you can see some of her work on that little side linky thing).

Kelly's tent, her work won honorable mention!

Just spending the day(and previous evening) with my Best Friend is always going to be a great day. But a day where we get to meet the nicest people, people who were making you feel like you have this great talent, people who are throwing compliments and were so kind and funny, people who were buying both our work. I had my second best day sales wise. I was thrilled. Any day you get paid for making things, doing what you love, well how can you top that?

My tent and rear.

My family. Both my kids had soccer games. Hubbie handled that with no problems, he said they both played well. After the games they visited us and manned our tents while we grabbed sandwiches. They went home and my hubbie and daughter were fixing the radiator on our old tractor. Hubbie came up at closing time to bring the camera ( I knew I'd forget) and help get my tubs from the monster truck. So we got home a little after 7:00 to a hot meal of quiche, spaghetti and chicken chili. My daughter had heated all our leftovers, my son had set the table and my man had cleaned the kitchen.

I don't know what I did to deserve that kind of day but I sure am thankful.

Almost ready

I am almost ready to go. House clean enough. Chicken Chili in the Crock Pot, and

I picked green beans for dinner. Hoping to have time to make an apple pie.

I finished one more art quilt.

I made some art postcards.

I also found some Holiday bags I made last year so I have 100 bags!

The most I've had for any show. I really hope I sell some.

The monster truck is loaded, I just need more muscle to get my lattice out of the garage and bungee it to the top. I even have time for a shower! They close the street at 6:45 followed by an artist wine reception. So fancy. We get to meet the other artists. The show isn't until tomorrow. I always feel weird about leaving my stuff over night. Tent walls are thin but they said they have security and the last show was a 2 day show and not one of us had any problems.

I hope to do well so I don't have to go out and get a real job, I like doing this too much to quit.

I'll tell all about it either Sunday or Monday. If I remember the camera I might even include photos!

Great news!

My girlfriends moms procedure went well, getting out of the hospital today. And my pal is going to be able to make it to the show!

So now I am cleaning my house. Not that she requires a clean house for her stay, I just do it for self respect. I got the kitchen peninsula cleaned off but I draw the line at dealing with the clutter in the background. My daughters Elvis Potato is in the far right wall.

I have this giant pickle jar I just haven't the heart to throw in the recycling bin. I just don't know what i am going to use for. Yes those are dead zinnias in the background and more clutter. I guess I have a lot more work to do.

Different day

I just got word from Felica from fluffy flowers (I haven't figured the linky thing yet, sorry) that I won a small prize from her harry potter give away! I can't wait to see it, maybe HP tattoo's. I'll let you know. So sweet. Now I have to be nice today.

Also about 7 years ago I made this quilt for my daughters " big girl room". I bought 2 sheet sets, one for the bed and one I cut and made a barbie wall hanging/organizer, slip covered a chair and stool and used the scraps to make this quilt. More scraps were made into a rag rug. Matchy matchy.

I didn't know any thing about machine quilting at the time so i just ran a few lines down between the blocks and tied the center of the squares. Well every time I washed it I held my breath, worried it would come out as a giant lump.

Well my mom bought a long arm quilting machine and has been practicing to use it.

I gave her the quilt, after pulling the layers apart and getting new batting, and she gave it back and its beautiful! I just need to bind it now. It feels like an heirloom now and not just a blanket. My daughter wants it finished right now, she loved it before and loves it even more now. I told her after this weekend I'd do it.

Speaking of the weekend, I have gotten so much done. No bags but other stuff. I labeled and tagged all the new stuff. Boxed every thing up and its waiting to load on Friday.

I made 20 new tissue packs, my daughter stole one. It had puppies on it and she is a puppy freak.

If you happen to be in Saline, Michigan this weekend and stop at the Saline Harvest of the Arts show, swing by my tent and mention you read my blog and I'll give you a tissue pack. FOR FREE!!!! Golly!

Speaking of my tent, it came with one of those fabric awnings. I did use it on the side at my last show because it was so sunny and hot and called it my veranda. It felt so fancy and southern. I had a couple extra chairs and tons of people used it.

Well it is supposed to be cooler this weekend but no rain, yea! (you'd better be right mr. weatherman, you'd better be right.)

So I don't plan on using it. But I figured I use one of the poles to stick out this not so subtle 2 sided, quilted sign I just finished.

I recently heard 70% of Walmart merchandise comes from China, hence the low low prices. Well I don't want to make 25 cents an hour. I just wanted to remind people where the stuff at these showscome from. Artists shouldn't have to justify their pricing for one of a kind, non mass produced items. Just because we get to work in our jammies doesn't mean we shouldn't make $$. We need to buy more jammies for Pete Sakes!

Hopefully my sign is not too tacky, but it wont be the first time I'm accused of that.

life

It was about a month ago, maybe more, that I was invited to be in this art show. I had plans on making about 20 new bags to go along with about 85 that I already have. It's a show in the same town as the August show I did, so I wanted to have lots of new stuff. I have only finished 12 new bags and one art quilt.

I did finish 2 commissioned bags the nicest woman ordered from my last show and is going to pick them up Saturday so that's good.

But what the heck, 14 bags in a month? With only 2 days to go I don't think I am going to make it. I feel a funk creeping in.

I am a stay at home mom with the usual family and home distractions, how do full time working moms do it? When I get ready for a show my whole house goes to hell. I manage to keep up with cooking and laundry but my house is a disaster. More funk creeping in.

Also my best friend since the 8th grade, the amazing watercolor artist (check out her stuff in my links), is supposed to be in the show next to me. She lives 4 hours away, we don't see each other often, and we have been wanting to do a show together for sooo long. She just called and her mom is having heart problems and will be having some procedures done on Wednesday and is not sure if she is going to make it to the show. Now don't get me wrong I want her mom to be better and healthy. But I also want her to be better and healthy for my own selfish reasons. I am such a bad person. Guilty funk creeping in.

Now the stupid, huge neighbor dog is over for the third time in a week bothering my chickens. My medium sized dog so far had done his best to chase him off but what if he kills some of them? I just took a head count and they are all here. I told my hubbie that I want a sling shot and some paint ball pellets for my birthday. That should send the owner a message to keep his wandering around, wizzing on everything, chasing chickens dog in his own yard. Maddening!

I need to think positive thoughts, I just have this tired, mad, sad, funk creeping in. I think I need to go outside and get a little sun and feel guilty while I'm out there because I'm not inside getting work done.

It does feel better venting to you, my poor hubbie can only take so much.

I went outside and my dog started going nuts again and ran down to the creek. I followed him and turned the corner and there was T-Bone humping that dog. And doing a mighty fine job of it I might add. I was laughing so hard I almost peed while waving a broom wildly over my head.
I feel a lot better. I'd better change out of my pj's to meet the bus.

tutorial

My family loves rice, those rice packages are easy but not as healthy as brown rice. Brown rice is also much cheaper. I have an easy, tasty brown rice recipe that my family loves. It takes longer to cook but the hands on time is minimal.Ingredients, brown rice, butter, onion, mushrooms, and chicken bullion.

Saute onion and mushrooms (drained) in a tablespoon of butter till lightly browned.

Figure out on rice directions the amount for your family. Add one bullion cube per one cup of water. Add rice. Different brands have different cooking times from 35 min to 1 hour. Cover and wait.

Stir and serve. Easy right?

I usually make a double batch and turn the leftovers into fried rice the next night.

Monster Truck Fan

I have read subtle and not so subtle anti SUV blogs, so risking judgement, I am admitting I own one of those giant, gas guzzlers. Please hear me out. I live in a semi rural area, on a dirt road, I haul bales of straw, grain and bedding for the care of my girls (chickens). With my sister and her kids, and me and mine, that's 7 people I transport on a regular basis. Occasionally a Grandma too! I have driven loads of parents on field trips and half a troop of Brownies. Any time I can carpool I do.

My family camps as the majority of our family vacations. Some times tent, sometimes family cabin, but mostly we pull our vintage 1964 Avion Camper that we lovingly restored. A little car wouldn't do. Most hotels aren't earth friendly.

I sell my stuff at several arts & craft shows a year and everything fits inside and still has seating for me and 2 kids.

For the most part it's usually just me and my family of 4. Do I feel guilty? no. I average about 6,000 miles per year, way less than most. When I do have to go somewhere, I fit other errands in the trip. I have a clothesline and on warm sunny days you'll see my undies out flapping in the breeze. At least half of my family's clothing is bought used through garage sales or thrift shops. Reducing manufacturing and packaging. I pack my family their lunches. No juice pouches for this family. I use reusable containers (garage sale purchases). Did you know the lunch trays at school are foam and everything including the plastic utensils gets pitched?

Until the temp in the house gets hotter than 85 is only when I turn on the air conditioning. On the crisp fall mornings I won't turn on the heat, I'll just bake something. We grow and process quite a bit of our own food. I make most of our foods from scratch, reducing packaging and landfill waste.

Our Vehicles were all purchased used. Is a used, low mileage, driven till it dies, gas guzzler vehicle worse for the planet than a new, driven a lot, replaced frequently hybrid?

I hit a huge deer last winter during a night time rain storm, some vehicle damage but I am sure if I hit that deer in a little car, it would have come in the windshield and my son and I probably would have been hurt not just scared. I feel safe in that car.

Bottom line for me is there are very few people in this country who live off the grid doing everything right for the planet. But there are a lot of us out there who do what we can to reduce our imprint in many different ways. Some of us just do it while driving a monster truck.

blog musings

I am new to this blog thing and was wondering a couple of things. I have read a few moms who have had problems with creepie guys getting photos they post of their children and using them in creepie ways. Now these children, aren't being physically harmed, it's just so yucky. So here is my question, when you see a blog where the mom is frequently putting mostly nude pic's of her child, do you type in a comment saying something, they might not be aware or do you just mind your own business. I don't personally know the mom and like i said, no direct harm. I tend to be too much of a buttinski sometimes and with age I have tried to tone it down a bit, but the mother tiger in me doesn't just stop at my own kids.

Also, when you frequent someones blog almost daily because you are blown away by the talent, creativity and humor of that person, and you really want to send comments on every thing they do. Would that person think it stalkerish? I do have a life and friends of my own and don't want to turn their skin into a suit. I just admire so many other women out there in blog land.

Just wondering.

sewing

These are some of the bags I have been making for the show.I am mad for this fabric. I need a new bag, which will I keep?
These green bags look great out and about.
Once again, the girls have to check out what is going on.
What I don't sell at this show and my November show will be put in my etsy shop.

Enlarge this picture and look in the bottom right corner. That's Chip, she looks so funny!

good bye

I'm trying to kill some time while the burning chemicals change my dull slighly graying roots back to the vibrant youthful hair that makes me feel less old and frumpy.

Today we had to say goodbye to a little friend. No sympathy cards, he's not dead. He was our foster fish. My son volunteered to take care of his science teachers fish over the summer. His teacher nice man that he is, has the words ass and crap in his name. Take a couple of minutes to giggle. Although school started almost 3 weeks ago, my son had a hard time taking him back. He took these pictures last night to remember him.

This fish, Orange Juice (O.J. for short), is the most interesting fish I ever met. He gets excited when you enter the room. If you set his plants down into the rocks, he picks the rocks up with his mouth and sets them aside until they all float again. He glowed with his vibrant orange body with white spots on his tail.

Little O.J. , we hope someone from this years Science class loves you as much as we did.

art show

I realized I keep talking about the show I am going to be in but never let anyone know the website. I don't know how to do the link thing yet so I'll just give the site.

It's salinehoa.net

A great day

I had a great day today. My mom and I did the shopping and lunch thing. I found the perfect cording at Hobby Lobby (after an extensive search) for these commission pieces I am doing.

We went to JoAnnes and nothing grabbed me and made me take it home. Had burgers and hot fudge sundae's. Sooooo goooooood!

Our last stop was this quilt shop in Adrian. I used to never go to quilt shops before because of the cost per yard. What a fool I was. The quality and the selection are top notch. The ladies working at quilt shops are the nicest. And I am a small business wanabe, so why wouldn't I support other small businesses. Not only is my $$ going to a business in a small community but these people live and spend their $$ in these communities. It is a glorious cycle.

Ok, aside from all that they have the most delicious fabrics ever. I found these fabrics that I just want to roll around nudie on them. I won't but I want to.

I have this thing for bright colors. I want to mix them in a bowl and eat them with a spoon. They grabbed onto me and wouldn't let me leave the store without them. Did I mention I have a thing for fabric. Do you realize all the beautiful things I can make with very little effort on my part just because they are so exquisite? Do you! DO YOU!! I love them so much. I gladly handed over my credit card. Statement be damned!!! You can't put a price on true love.

I can't be too rash and just start cutting into them. I have to admire them for a day or two, daydreaming on all the different bags I can make. Totes, messenger bags, wristletts. I even found a couple of fabrics from my stash to make these beauties stretch even farther. Customers will flock to my tent at my next show and I will sit proudly as they all admire my beautiful bags, throwing compliments and cash left and right. I can see it now.

It was a great day, a great day indeed.

??????

Since I am a new blogger and not a professional writer I don't know if it is ok for me to just blah blah on and not have a theme. I am going to do it anyway.

Soccer games again today. Both my kids teams lost but not due to lack of effort. I love soccer.

Also I love this blog thing. I have had talented women, some from England, leave me sweet comments. This esty and blog thing is amazing, you get to see so much creativity and talent and smarts and kindness while sitting in my den. It gives me such hope for our world.

I have been wanting to talk about this show I have coming up. I have to give a little history first.

A couple of years ago I had just turned 39, my kids were getting older and hit the grades where they didn't need parent volunteers at the school so much. I was room parent, helped kids read, field trips, coordinated parties, taught junior achievement and much more for yeeaarrs.

So I was kind of floundering and feeling useless and needed my own thing. I got my courage up, and called this Gallery in town and brought in some of my stuff. The gallery owner, Doreen was so kind, took some bags and for a year I sold things till she closed her shop. I had been to craft shows during that time and had spotty success. She invited me to be in a outdoor craft show this summer and had a blast, met talented people and hit my $$ goals. My kids were an amazing help and even helped other crafters with their tents.

Well she is also in charge of a fall ART SHOW and invited me to participate. Holy cow these other people are ARTISTS! I almost wet myself. So I told my best friend since the 8th grade who happens to be an amazing watercolor artist about it and told Doreen about her and SHE IS GOING TO BE IN THE SHOW TOO! I think I just wet myself.

It's in two weeks and I am trying to get more bags and art quilts ready. As well as trying not to freak out. My dilemma is, I read somewhere that new quilt artists should charge $50-$75 per square foot. So that's what I am doing, but when my sister saw my prices she said " Are you pricing these not to sell?" Yes she can be a GIANT B sometimes but love her anyway. So now I am worried, am I charging too much? I want to be paid for my time but I don't want to give my stuff away either.

This one is 12" - 13" is pieced, appliqued, the background is hand dyed and has some bead work in it so I thought $75 sounded fair.

Since you ladies are so smart, I figured the whole 3 of you who might be reading this could help me out. I thank you in advance for any help at all.

veggie stand

My kids for quite some time wanted to have a lemonade stand. We have a long driveway, the end isn't visible from the house. I have watched too many Americas Most Wanted's to let that happen.


I told the kids this summer we could open a veggie stand using the surplus veggies from our garden. We used a curbside treasure umbrella, a table given to us, splurged on a 2.49 tablecloth and we were ready to rock.


If you are looking for a fun way to start your children into the world of entrepreneurship, and something to work on during the end of summer lul, this is a good one. They set up the umbrella, spread out the tablecloth, filled an old kleenex box with bags for shopping convience, then priced and displayed the produce just right.


We set out an honor jar and had a lot of nay sayers about that in the family. Some thought our veggies would be stolen and our cash would be gone. We chose to think positively and said if someone needs the food or couple of bucks that badly, well they must be worse off than us and they are welcome to it.
We were right. People are good and decent in our little rural area.


We still have our stand out by the road since we are trying to unload some of our bumpercrop of Basil. I have some free pesto recipe cards out there for encouragment. Also some ornamental gourds for fall decorating and a few tomatoes.


So if you are driving down the road an see a little roadside table, stop by and check out the goodies. You may end up making a couple of kids day and you will end up with tasty, organic, fresh picked, locally grown produce.


As of today, we have made a grand total of $32. The kids are thrilled and have bigger plans for next summer!
We are now up to $35!

food

During the summer I eat like a normal person. Meal times and normal foods. Since my kids went back to school i am a different eater. Take today for instance, 7:30 cranberry cereal, not bad, 9:30 fish soup (I had earlier mass produced and froze in small portions) 11:30 Cola fix 1:30 egg roll, now I want ice cream. No I am NOT Preggers! I think this thread breaking thing- earlier post- is making me so off track I have to walk away and apparently eat. Well I'd better go and find that ice cream.

help

I have been trying to machine quilt for the last few days and my thread keeps breaking. I am using my darning foot, tried different sized needles and had the feed dogs up or dropped and it still doesn't matter. I have been using Sulky thread, is that the problem? I need a shiny colorful thread. Does any one out there have any suggestions? This is so frustrating!
Update-I used a sewing machine needle I got from the treasures from that estate sale and now it is working fine. waaahooo!

My studio (sort of)

I love when artists and crafters have these studios that are works of art in themselves. The paint color is dreamy, the lighting perfect, the supplies on the shelves are neatly stacked and the counter tops are gleaming. I don't have that.

Our home isn't huge, isn't tiny either, I feel it is just right for our family of four. But when you have children, they have a lot of stuff. It's really cool stuff too. Barbies and games and legos and tons of fun things they didn't make in the olden days when I was a child. So basically until they move out (maybe I'll let them when they're 30), their dad and I will have some space in the house that is just ours. Until then we have to happily make do.

I have a space I carved out of the back recesses of the basement that I lovingly refer to as my hovel. My old dictionary defines hovel as a small wretched dwelling. That pretty much sums it up. Last spring I got tired of having my fabric and supplies scattered about. So I got a wild hair and claimed a space. I shelved the junk to the other side of the storage space, hung peg boards, put a big carpet remnant down, strung twinkle lights and went to work filling it up. There are no cozy guest seats for visitors, only a tiny window I sometimes catch my girls looking down at me through, and it is usually quite messy, I have the rest of the house to clean so my space should be messy.

When you are an artist you can create just about anywhere. You have to, you can't help it. So it is nice to have a space of your own no matter how big or small, beautiful or not. Some day I would like to have an artist dream studio. But for now if you ever come down and visit my hovel, only nice comments please. It may never be worthy of a magazine spread, but it's mine.

estate sales

Back in the olden days, I used to feel squeemish about estate sales. I felt like a vulture picking through the remains of someone elses life. Now I know better.

Speaking from experience of having held an estate sale for a loved one who died, you want some good to come from their belongings that you just can't keep yourself.

I went to an estate sale recently. Craft books, patterns, sewing supplies were everywhere. I learned from the daughter that this woman was a seamstress. Not just a recreational sewer, but a woman who knew her stuff. She made wedding dresses, Halloween costumes plus an entire professional wardrobe for a woman who was 6' 5" tall. There was soooo much to choose from. Due to the lack of green in my wallet, I had to choose carefully.

The daughter didn't sew, with her mom being there her whole life, she never felt the need to learn. Who could blame her? She felt better knowing that some of her moms treasures were going to someone who would use them.

When I purchase these treasures I not only feel I've got a great deal, I could never have bought all these zippers, trims and buttons at one time at my fave craft stores, but I am honoring the women who had these items before me. The zipper no longer is just a zipper bought at the craft store, but now is a zipper with a story and a history.

I also bought vintage sheets and this suitcase, old but brand new and the most beautiful blue. For $1.

I also got this entire set of dishes. Four dinner plates, 2 larger plates, an 8" bowl, 2 oval plates, 4 bowls, 2 cake plates, 16 fruit bowls, 11 cups with 10 saucers, and a cute little sugar bowl with lid. For the grand total of $3! They are so beautiful.

My daughter informed me she wants these dishes for her first apartment. She also said she now can't wait to move out.

She's 11.

I hope someday someone will love my treasures like I love these.

My Garden

This is some of my "mini" farm.

This is Sugar Creek. A small creek but it does show up on the map.

Also where I came up with the name sugar creek stuff.

It runs near my garden.

My garden in early July.

This year I have asparagus, basil, beans, beets (mostly for the tops in salads), carrots, corn, cucumbers, dill, lettuces, green onions, oregano, peas, peppers, radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes, and zucchini. Also some edible flowers to pretty up the salads. I also planted pumpkins but the late season rains, did them all in.

I suffer from SAD. And am so blah by the end of winter, this is my therapy. May and June, on sunny days, I live out here in very little clothes getting as much sun as I can. Lucky for the neighbors it is a private place. By July I have had enough of the heat and start getting ready for my early August craft show and the weeds get the best of me. But in spite of the weeds, my early hard work pays off.

My pup posing with some of todays bounty.

My girls are very curious so they have to come and check out to see if they are missing any treats. Nope mom is going to be blanching and freezing beens tonight!

I love soccer season

My kids first soccer games of the season were today. They were both at 9am so I got the girl, Dad got the boy. We'll switch next time. The weather was perfect, the teams were evenly matched, my niece is on my daughters team, so I got to chat with my sis. I love the game and how the girls play. They are so polite compared to the boys, if someone gets injured they actually care if she's alright. They are also competitive which makes for an exciting game.

The kids and I then went to the local fair. For those of you who are a way better person than me, please stop reading at this point because I am going to be slightly snotty. FIFTEEN DOLLARS PER PERSON!! Am I the only one who think this is outrageous? $45 bucks just to get in. It includes rides but there are only about 10 that are age appropriate for my kids and I am the motion sickness queen so my entry was pure donation. The money is obviously not going to the carnie group dental plan.

For those of you who are a way better person than me, you can resume reading now. We had a nice time. I love the craft section so we went there first. I saw a rag rug entered by a gal I taught to make them. She won a second place ribbon! We saw the farm animals, sweet horses with the velvety noses, goats, pigs, llamas, bunnies, and then the chickens. Some of those don't even remotely look like chickens! Some looked more like a road runner than a chicken.

My kids like all the rides, even the spinny ones. We only saw one kid vomit, close up, but we did see remnants of vomit past. We made a small donation to the rip off games fund but I felt it taught my kids a valuable lesson, at my expence, on how the prizes hanging up aren't the prizes you win. They always have that little bucket hidden behind the counter. I did warn them ahead of time but they never believe penny pinchy mom.

We went home, made burgers on the grill, and I fell asleep for an hour and a half on the couch. I am definately middle aged. I hope you all had a great Saturday as well.

My chickens

When I refer to myself as a farmgirl, it is probably a slap in the face to real farm girls who are up at dawn, rain or shine, birthing lambs, milking cows, mucking stalls and the list goes on and on. I admire those women, my grandmother was one of those women.

I am only a part time, selective farmgirl.

My early childhood was spent on a farm. My dads parents were crop farmers. We lived in a farmhouse and although my dad was a builder, he worked the farm. As kids, the 3 of us pitched in. Grandma had chickens and a veggie stand and sold eggs. She could stretch a dollar farther than anyone. She died shortly after my parents Divorce. I miss her and how my life is now, I sure could have learned a lot.

Mom moved us out west and we spent the summers on grandpas farm while my dad was working. Making forts in the barns, the swing in the hayloft, playing in the grain slio's. He died when I was a teen. I loved that man. Tough to everyone else but a softie to his grandkids.

I moved back home to Michigan soon after Graduating. The west never felt like home to me. I gained a life long friend while there so no regrets.

About 10 years ago my husband and I got the opportunity to buy 4 acres of land with woods, a pond and sugar creek running through it, in a great school district. We built our house, made the pond bigger and I wanted a garden and chickens.

When I planned on getting chickens I didn't want to spend much $$ on a coop and then decide I hated having chickens then having an expensive empty coop reminding me of my folly. We revamped a old playhouse my dad built us when we were kids. Used leftover supplies we had from our house and spent nothing on the coop.

We let the chickens free range during the day and have lost some to predators over the years. We've come to accept the losses because the chickens love the freedom. Had anyone told me how much I would end up loving my chickens I would have never believed them. They are funny to watch, they eat bugs and seeds in the yard. The eggs are just the icing on the cake. They are little works of art in a beautiful shell that taste better than any store bought egg. The chickens do ruin flowerbeds and poop in the yard though. When I go outside, my girls all come running, watching a chicken run is one of the funniest things on the planet. My sister calls me the chicken whisperer. I even buy Backyard poultry magazine when I go to Tractor Supply! I can't beleive I even want to read about other peoples chickens. This is nuts!! I have accepted my chicken love and no longer try to hide it.

This is Lucky, she is my favorite, she is actually quite a bitch to the other girls and was very skittish to me early on. She lays beautiful green shelled eggs. She was ill last winter and I brought her into the house. (Another thing my hubby doesn't get. Yet we are deeply in love.) I kept her in the laundry tub and got her back to health. We bonded.

For those of you who have chickens and love them, I too know the deep deep feelings of chicken love. For those of you who don't have chickens and think I am loony, I agree. But all I can say is don't knock it till you try it.