Coup de Poulet

One of our favorite places to spend time is in and around our chicken coop.  

Most of our feathered friends began in our home, raised by my daughter in her room, 

until they were ready to go to the coop.

This is how our coop looked just after it was constructed.

We soon learned that we would need to provide a decent amount of shade 

(as Phoenix temperatures can get over 120 degrees!)

We installed fans inside the two coop areas and have learned to spray down the 

floors often in those super hot summer months.

And what's a coop without a chandelier?

I bought an old brass one at an auction and spray painted it white.

(I think it makes the girls happy)

Here's the coop today:

 Our handsome Roo, Abigail.
(Obviously, we were hoping for a girl)



























I always say the chickens have the best views!
(Notice all the dirt kicked out of the flower beds)
















Now that's pure farm joy!
One of our sweet little silkies.

     We built this pergola and swing just outside the hen house mainly because I felt guilty that I kept finding my daughter doing her homework on the chicken coop floor!

                                                                                                       Snuggling with your chickens in the spring on a swing- love it!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

Around here, we absolutely love to throw a party.  We invited a few of my daughter's friends over for an afternoon holiday tea.   The girls enjoyed hot tea, sparkling cider, desserts and listening to Christmas songs.  It was so lovely listening to the giggles and fun that the girls had just enjoying being together.

We made fascinators for everyone to wear and my daughter picked an ornament for 

each that we wrapped and put at each place setting. 

My favorite little hostess.

Thankfully, our roses are usually in full bloom around this time of year and I added them to pine greenery and frosted pine cones for the tables centerpieces.

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a 

Happy New Year!

Purposed Prayers

Looking for a way to enhance your families prayer time?

These prayer sticks are a super easy, fun and purposeful craft that you can make with your kids. 

I love how these challenge all of us think about new things that we are thankful for, who we need to be praying about and how we can better serve. 

Since I wanted to encourage the kids to be constantly thinking of new things to pray about,

I needed these to be easy to change.  

Here's what you will need:

- Craft sticks/ tongue depressors

- Washi or Ribbon tape

- Scissors

- White Primer Spray Paint

- Chalkboard spray paint

- Chalkboard marker

                                       

Step One:

Spray paint the sticks with primer.

This allows the chalkboard paint to work really well and not absorb into the wood.

Step two:

Spray the primed sticks with chalkboard paint.

This will take two coats for it to work well.

Apply first coat and wait 15 minutes, then apply second coat.

Step Three:

Decorate the sticks. 

We used Washi and ribbon tape but you could use

markers, stickers or anything on hand.

 

Step Four:

Use a chalkboard marker to write your prayers on the sticks and start praying! 

Best of all, these can be changed as often as you would like. 

Simply use a wet towel to wipe them clean and start over. 

    

Have you tried this method?  Do you have anything that has helped in your family prayer time?

I would love to hear about it!

Food for Thought:

The enemy will try to limit your praying because

he knows your praying will limit him.

                        

  Freedom Print & Note Cards

              

 

 We are delighted to announce that we have worked with a wonderful artist to have Freedom's painting made from one of our favorite photos of him during his stay at our home.

(click here to read Freedom's story)

We will be selling prints of this painting as well as note cards.  100% of the profits from the sale will go to help children in foster care and those waiting to find their forever home.

The prints and cards will be available through our Etsy shop and can be found by clicking here.

Freedom Note Cards

8 x 10 print

Will you help us spread the word? 

Leave a comment and spread the word to at least one friend and you will be entered to win a 

Freedom Print or Note Card set.

Thank you for sharing our journey and many blessings to each of you!

Freedom Part 2

click here for the Freedom part 1

Freedom was growing… and fast.  We would have to figure a plan and my dear husband was not ready for a full grown sheep to take the spare bedroom (although Freedom had mastered the stairs quite wonderfully).  He was now about as tame as they get.  He would follow the kids to do chores and dutifully come right back.

 

I believed Freedom wanted to be with us and I won’t lie- my heart ached.  He couldn’t just go back to his old flock.  Even if they didn’t reject him, it would be hard to fit in.  And he was used to air conditioning… In addition, I could hardly handle the idea of his mom rejecting him and then him having to adjust to a new home yet again.

I contacted the preschool where my kids had attended.  It was a lovely place filled with lovely people.  They had gardening, lots of animals and children- Freedom loved children.  But they did not call me back.  What would we do?  

We tried taking him back to my parents.  It could have worked, but it didn't seem like the best fit.  His mom did not butt him as she had before but she wasn't interested in him either.  He had become so accustomed to people that I felt he needed them.  When we left, he cried.  His desperate bleets from the pasture made me sad and I felt as though I had abandoned him.  

A short while later, the school called.  I was so excited.  We picked up Freedom and took him for a visit.  I held him and his sweet little chin nestled my cheek as it had so many times before.

He went right in the school yard gate and walked up to the children who were eager to greet him.  He chewed on a few shoelaces, embraced a few head pats and made his way to the garden area. 

He peacefully lay down.  He was not startled and he did not call for me.  His "happy eyes," as I called them, were back.  And he was home.

 

The animals all come to greet their new friend

Visiting Freedom a few months later

Freedom now goes to Preschool everyday.  He can be found hanging out with the pigs and chickens and has an amazing group of young children that surround his happy life.

We all very much miss having him with us, but he has found an amazing forever home.  We are so thankful for having had this very special woolly friend as part of our story.