What a start to Spring!

Hannah was very please with her "giant" snowball.

 Well, Spring may have arrived a couple days ago, but I think the weather didn't get the memo! We woke up Thursday morning to a couple of inches of snow all over! The girls were delighted and it did look pretty. The chickens didn't know what to think of it though, and I had to put some straw down in front of their coop so they'd venture outside. We had lots of fun playing in the snow while it lasted and now today seems much more like Spring. Sunshine and blue sky and 50 some degrees. Yay!

"Cheese!"

The ladies love to look in through the patio door and see what's going on inside.

The girls watching the hens enjoy one of their favorite treats...oatmeal.

What a difference from a couple days ago! The poor daffodils were drooping under the snow.

 Blessings!

Happy Spring!!!

 Hope you all had a great first day of Spring! Ours was cold and rainy, but I still got out for a minute to snap a couple of pictures of some of the springtime flowers blooming in our yard. Here's to a wonderful season full of new beginnings!

 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Blessings!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...it is cloudy and gray. We even had a dusting of snow on the ground this morning. I hope Spring decides to show up soon here!

I am thinking...about all I should be doing instead of spending time on the computer right now.

I am thankful...for my husband working so hard to take care of me and the kids so I can stay home with them. What a blessing!

In the kitchen...not much happening in the kitchen today. The guys won't be home for dinner, so I think the girls and I will do something simple.

I am wearing...jeans, a black t-shirt with sparkles and a print on the front and my new sweater that I got this past week when we were at the beach. I love it!

I am creating...working on knitting a shawl for my mother-in-law for her birthday, and going to start knitting a hat for one of the girls. I had so much fun with my first hat I want to make more! Anybody want a hat??? LOL :)

I am going...this week I get to go to my favorite coffee shop for a few hours with a book and just have a little me time.

I am wondering...what fun things the girls and I can do while hubby is out of town for work and James is with grandparents for Spring break...hmmmmm :)

I am reading...an assortment of books from the library, from child raising to being self-sufficient to books on chickens. So many books, so little time!

I am hoping...to get all my laundry finished today. We had quite a pile after our trip to the beach.

I am looking forward to...bed time...I am sooo tired!

I am learning...how important it is to think before you speak.

Around the house...Ellie is napping, Hannah is playing Mario Kart for a few minutes and the laundry is calling my name.

A favorite quote for today..."There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." Jane Austen

One of my favorite things...watching the chickens run around the yard. This morning they were chasing the little juncos that come to our feeder.

A few plans for the rest of the week: library day tomorrow, maybe going swimming with the family, a playdate this weekend, and whatever else comes along.

A peek into my day...

The girls at the beach house feeding seagulls out the patio door.

The seagulls. :)

Hope you have a great week! Share your own daybook here at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Chickens!!!

 We have chickens!!!! After the past few years of dreaming and talking, hoping and planning, we are now the proud owners of 5 Buff Orpington one-year old hens. I am soooo excited!!! We brought them home Saturday morning and have been enjoying them so much already. Hannah and Ellie pulled up chairs next to the coop and sat and watched the "ladies" off and on all day long. They are thrilled to be chicken owners.

 We spent pretty much all last week building our coop with the help of our wonderful, amazing friend. He took some of the ideas I had and was able to turn them into plans and figure everything out for supplies, etc. And it turned out way better than anything that I had planned to attempt on my own.

 The ladies have a 4x8 foot penned space for pecking around in and a 4x4 foot cozy coop complete with 2 next boxes and a rustic roost. Plus, on nice days they can roam around the yard to their hearts content. They've had two days of free-ranging so far and have already torn up every single garden bed in the yard. (We'll have to figure out a plan to keep them out of the garden boxes when growing season arrives.) Watch out slugs!

Hannah and Ellie checking out the coop before the chickens arrive.

First egg!

 The ladies seem to be adjusting quite nicely to their new home and have already given us 10 eggs since Saturday! When the weather gets warmer we should be getting 5 eggs per day.

 Of course, we had to name the ladies even though they pretty much all look exactly alike. And since there are 5 chickens and 5 of us, everyone got to name one. Yay!

Matt- Sandy (short for Sanders...as in Colonel Sanders)

Me- Lindu (Finnish word for bird)

James- Nugget (I think the guys got confused on the purpose of the chickens!)

Hannah- Rosetta

Ellie- Rosie

Chicken Love

This girl is super excited about having chickens!

Took them 1 minute to flip all the bark chips out into the grass. :)

Thanks for sharing our excitement over the new additions to our family!

Blessings!