Eggstatic

Back on July 23rd, we got our first egg!  I suspected that Nan was up to something a couple of days prior - - her behavior was a little different and she just seemed to be pacing a lot more than usual. Sure enough, she sequestered herself in the nesting box one morning, and not long after, we had our first egg. It was big excitement, I tell you!

Within the next week, all three of our girls were laying. Despite the heat, we usually get three eggs every day. Nan lays quite small eggs, but I suspect they will increase in size as she gets a little older. The Buffs, however, have laid a couple of whoppers...I'm not sure how they do it, really!

One of Nan's eggs on the left, and one of Butterscotch's eggs on the right.

Now we have wonderful, fresh eggs from our girls for our breakfast in the morning. The yolks are so orange that we end up with the brightest yellow scrambled eggs. Camden says, "Happy chickens make happy eggs!"

I think I have mentioned before that our chickens are very tame (as you can see!). Griff and Butterscotch like to sit together from time to time. I don't know what they talk about, but Butterscotch is very content to cuddle up and get some love from Griff.

I'm so glad that I took the leap into backyard chickens. They are fascinating little critters and they bring us a lot of happiness!

A Bit of a Whirlwind

Whew! The past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy. Right after we lost Riley, we had to start getting ready for the Gem County Fair, which ended up being a great distraction for the boys and myself. We just love the fair! The boys were very excited about the Lego competition. Camden had actually been working on his creations since last year's fair, and his hard work paid off. He was really hoping to win the Grand Champion ribbon, and he did just that, for his "nuclear submarine" submission.

Griffin did a great job as well, and he is so proud of the ribbons he won. We tried something new this year, and we each entered the "Spudhead" competition, making little creations out of Idaho potatoes. It was so much fun, and we will definitely be doing it again next year.

The "Queen of the Kitchen" ribbon slipped through my grasp once again this year, so I will just have to try again next year. I was one blue ribbon short of qualifying, but I am not complaining at all! I love that the prizes for "best of division" are bags of sugar. It certainly comes in handy when you love to bake.

My parents packed up and headed back to Maine, and boy, do we miss them already. We had such a great visit and feel so lucky that they come out and spend so much quality time with us. Their little house is so cute, and I think they enjoyed fixing it up. Come back soon, Mum and Dad!

We had the great fortune of a visit from Emily and Neil! They were enjoying a vacation out west, and took the time to include Emmett as a stop in their travels. It was so wonderful to actually see them "in person" and spend time together. It was a great day.

I thought it was fitting that the vet's office called me on what would have been Riley's 15th birthday, to tell me that his ashes were ready to be picked up. The boys and I love his urn, and it feels so good to have him back home with us.

 A few months ago, I saw these little stuffed animals at Starbucks (of all places!). I bought two and put them away. The other day, I took them out of my closet, removed their little green scarves and replaced them with blue plaid ribbon (because Riley wore a blue plaid collar) and added some personalized name tags. The boys just love their new pups.

In other news, the chickens have begun laying eggs, but that deserves a post of its own! Summer has sped by far too quickly this year. I cannot believe that the first day of school is just 15 short days away.