While the chickens are getting settled in their new digs and the garden will soon be turning green, I’m looking forward to summer produce. I know it’s barely April, but June will bring some of the tastiest strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries I’ve eaten ever. You just cannot go back to grocery store berries after that. Just can’t. I have to…
Last summer, I finally got the keys to our new house. Yay! But before we could move in, something had to be done about the floors. There are wood floors in every room. I love this about the house! Unfortunately, only the kitchen and bathrooms had floors that had been replaced or refinished. The rest were in pretty sad shape.…
We’ve got adolescents! Our backyard chickens have become teenagers. Those little chicks that fit quite happily into an old guinea pig cage? They’re huge! And rapidly growing out of their enlarged brooder. They’re feathering out and looking a little rough around the edges as the feathers grow in, as young teens do. In fact, their heads are still a touch…
Every spring my entire life goes a little off the rails. Working full time with 2 kids, 4 chickens, a cat, and a dog is can be frantic at times. From February to the middle of April, I’m working from 8 am until 8 pm and all those balls I’m trying to juggle come crashing down. My favorite line is…
Creating Easter Baskets for Teens or Tweens is difficult. They too old for stuffed bunnies and cute baby toys. In fact, they often act as though they are already world-weary and bored with everything but their phone. At the same time, they still want to be kids. They still want to believe in the Easter Bunny (even though they know…
It’s been about four weeks since we brought home our little peeping puffballs and kicked off our backyard chickens journey—and wow, are these girls growing fast! I’m pretty sure they were already a week old when we picked them up, because now they’re practically feathered-out supermodels… except for their fuzzy little heads, which are still rocking the baby look. And…
Since moving to the new house, I’ve talked about “the list”. It’s a list of all the projects for the house. The top picture is where I started. The bottom is from last fall… The list continues. I put “The List” is in year categories, because some of the projects are very large and expensive. Year 5 is planned to…
Clam digging is a beloved activity in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), offering a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while learning something new. And when it comes to digging for Razor clams with kids? It’s hands-down one of the best family activities around! It’s fun, educational, and a perfect blend of adventure for all ages—the ultimate trifecta for family fun.…
Road trips with tweens are great! I really think it’s the sweet spot for road trips with kids, seriously. They don’t need a ton of extra stuff, are capable of holding their bladder for more than 10 minutes, AND they’re willing to eat things that aren’t chicken nuggets. The thing, however, that makes road trips with tweens so fun is…
Yesterday, we had to drive to the big city for an errand. It just so happened that an urban farm store was advertising that they received a delivery of chicks on the same day. Coincidence? I think not! After we dropped off some art pieces for a show, we drove over to the store. I’ve been thinking about “backyard chickens”…