Ahhh...the Country Life...

 Hard to believe it has been almost a week since I posted.

Whew!

Sorry about that.

It was one of those weeks that was both a fast forward and a slow motion week.

Our county fair started last week so the two weeks leading up to it were a whirlwind of busy, trying to get submissions done.

We dropped off our submissions this weekend and then drove right from there to see family for the weekend.

Had a great time but when I got home, I just sort of tuckered out.

Lost the wind in my sails and just could not get a direction.

Has that ever happened to you?

So this is my flock.

I tried to take photos when I let them out of their pen one night.

They move fast when they get out...

Eating bugs and grass.

Taking a dust bath.

Just exploring.

Most pictures are blurry from the flurry of movement.

They love getting out in the evenings.

In winter we keep them in their enclosure because they don't like the snow anyway.

They still get lots of fresh air from their little courtyard but they do not run around the yard.

They squawk when it is time to fly down from the nesting box in the morning because they don't want their little feet to touch the snow.

Silly Birds.

When I let them out in the evening, there are always one or two feeling broody in the nesting box.  

I pick each hen up and hold her until she cools a little and wants to fly down.

Then I gather the eggs.

After the broody girls walk around a little bit, they return to the nesting box.

This is Emma and Agent C (from Phineas and Ferb).

This is Sally (short for salad).  

Most of them are named after Chicken dishes...

Chicken Salad= Sally.

Chicken Barbeque= BeeBee

Chicken Fajita= Fay

Chicken Patty= Patty

Fried Chicken= Fred

I know, it is weird.

  We don't eat them.

They are egg producing pets.

Here is Fred, from the 2 new chicks this year.

Yup, he's a rooster.

So far, so good with Chester, the other rooster.

 And here is Frick, the other new chick.

I have the most pictures of them.

  They imprinted on us so they think the humans are their flock.

Frick and Fred are Araucanas.

Frick should lay green or blue eggs.

All the Bantam hens lay little white to tan eggs.

It will be exciting the first time we find a blue one.

I am going to try to get back on track with my posts.

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs.

New Chicken Coop

We have had chickens for about 4 years this time around.

We started with 6 chicks.

After a series of unfortunate mishaps, we ended up with 3- 2 hens and a rooster.

Twice we have allowed them to hatch out sets of eggs in the last 4 years.  

Each time, all 10 eggs hatched.  

Each time we kept 2-3 hens and found homes for all the rest.

Our little flock had 7 banty hens and a rooster.

This year we added 2 Araucana chicks.

To accommodate the bigger flock, we added an additional chicken coop. 

We started with an 8 x 10 shed.

Half was dedicated to the birds.

Half was dedicated to storage.

This shelf started as a greenhouse years ago and has been used for chicken supplies for the last several years.

I cut the sides off a burlap sisal sack and used it to drape over the shelves and hide supplies.

The bottom shelf has a tub of straw.

The next shelf up has buckets, dustpans and such.

An old wagon holds galvanized trash cans with chicken food.

Every chicken coop needs a stool to sit on while watching the birds...

If you have your own flock, you know some feeders are better received than others.

This red feeder is a spare because it is not their favorite.

The top shelf is mostly decorative items.

The green basket and galvanized pail hold feathers from the chickens. 

 When find a good one, it gets saved here.

  I use them for projects later.

The blue enamelware pan holds eggs while I refill feeders and such.

There are 2 nesting boxes.

The plastic bins make it very easy to take them out to clean them.

We have added another board for them to fly up on before getting into the boxes since I took the picture.

I love my chicken coop...

We were hoping for two hens...

We think one is a rooster.

Uh-oh.

Here they are at about 2 months old.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.

Outside Christmas in the Country

One of the things that has kept me very busy lately has been our Christmas open house.

We have it the first 2 weekends in December.

Today I thought I would show you my minimal holiday decorations that customers see between leaving their car and entering Christmas in the Country.

Welcome.

Right outside the door is our welcome sign and a new chicken wire dress form.

This little gal is for sale.

She is taller than the ones I made earlier this summer and does not require a separate base.

She can be secured anywhere in your garden with a couple of pieces of wire bent into a u shape and pushed into the ground.

Earlier this year, I shared a little Christmas banner  in a jar displayed here.

Now it welcomes guests and displays birdfeeders and garden totems.

A quick chalk sketch will probably have to be redone if it snows or rains....

Below is " the Annex".

It is a sweet little workspace behind my shed.

My husband gave me his old garage workbench and it makes a great outdoor workspace for gardening or creating. 

I also store things underneath... 

This is real world, folks...

Not blogland perfect.

Here is a twin to the chicken wire dress form.

This one is mine and she is decked out for winter with a lit garland wrapped skirt.

This shutter I got from that great neighbor of mine that drops off goodies from his truck.

I actually got to pick this one from his old barn...

Here's that little snowman again.

 You can see the whole vignette here.

The summer display just gets a winter makeover with some greenery.

 I love those Wooden Mushrooms...

So simple...

I always end up adding silly little things here and there....

This wreath on the birdhouse for example...

My handmade hypertufa birdbath gets a seasonal makeover.

Now it is filled with greens and goodies...

Honestly, they are bits that have fallen off other decorations nestled in a faux wreath.

That base is getting pretty chippy looking. 

It needs a makeover this summer but for now, I am enjoying it's chippy goodness.

This mini potting bench next to the shed doors always ends up being more of a display area than a work area.

That thermometer hasn't worked in years but it was here when we bought the house and I still love it.

The wooden ladder is literally on its last rung. 

That butterfly stepping stone on the bottom shelf was made by my daughter when she was small...

Most of my greens I get at the thrift store or yard sales in the summer.

I buy them up when someone has a big bunch for a reasonable price.

The skate swag was a thrift store score...

The birdhouses come from an Amish man that sets up at my favorite flea market.

He sells these for about $3.

I am not kidding...

I buy at least one new one each summer.

So these pallet flags are about 20 years old. 

I made them before pallet art was cool.

When it is really windy they blow off the shed doors.

From all the blowing around, they have lost their star centers.

I still love them.

This area actually hides our trash cans.

I built the cement block wall to hide them.

They are just stacked with landscape timbers on the top.

I added the flower boxes to further camouflage the trash cans.

I left the grasses from this summer and added greenery.

The greenery here is actually branches from an old Christmas tree.

It's the kind you assembled one branch at a time...

I stick the bent end into the soil to keep them in place.

Hey!  Here is that burlap ribbon I dyed.

If you missed the tutorial, you can find it here.

The princess pine garland was actually from my in laws.

  They bought me a bunch at a yard sale.

It is artificial but you don't really notice unless you touch it.

Both these benches were here at the house when we bought  it.

Though I seldom sit here, I do think there is something so welcoming about a bench....

Makes me want to sit....

Here is another goofy little touch around the candle bases.

It will look pretty when it snows...

A little bird feeder nestled in a pot with some greens...

For pots that stay out all winter I add some greens or a wreath.

I still need to add a wreath to that hook.

This little vignette is actually on our well cover.

That sweet little white cart also came from the neighbor's barn...

I know!

I have the best neighbors....

I nestled some greenery around the little thrift store pots of succulents.

I think this is actually a Christmas tree top from one of the yard sale Christmas trees.

You would never know....

Love these little pots.

Some years I just pile birdseed on the shelves in the winter....

I sort of worked backwards...

This is the display in the driveway.

That was a $3 tool bench from a yard sale...seating AND storage.

I painted it with OOPs paint from the home improvement store...

The milk can also came from that old barn several years back...

The sled was a $3 yard sale find a few years ago. 

It gets a holiday look with a thrift store swag and one of my burlap bows.

The slate came from one of my husband's coworkers. 

 I think he gave me 4 pieces...

Heading back the walkway...

This pot was here when we bought the house...

I nestle different goodies from time to time. 

My bamboo trellis is probably done.

I tied it together with twine for morning glories to climb in the summer.

These little guys are not quite done. 

 They need scarves and maybe a hat...

They will be little woodsman snowmen...

We are back to the door....

I hope you will stop back to see a peek at the inside.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.