Fort Worth or Bust! (the button off my pants!)

I had to make a quick trip to Fort Worth for work...drove up yesterday and back today.  Got my work done, ate way too much good food, and had a little fun, too!  It's always fun to be treated like a queen/superwoman/rockstar and that is just what my sweet mother-in-law, Lynda, orchestrated.  I arrived at her home after work and got dressed for an evening with the girls...Lynda, my sister-in-law, Janet, and my step-daughter, Dylan.  We had dinner at Tillman's Roadhouse near Montgomery Plaza.  It was awesome and, as my sister-in-law pointed out, very "Anthropologie" which is a store whose style I admire.   I had the most amazing trout and some very good wine.  (I'm still thinking about that trout tonight...yum!)  I couldn't have asked for a more awesome, beautiful, and amazing group of women to spend time with.  Thanks ladies for such a great time and for distracting me from missing my bambinos back at home.  I love you!

Sadly, the only picture I got of Tillman's was of the restroom.  So, although it was quite impressive, I will spare you!

I slept like a baby on a brand spankin' new bed at Lynda and Billy's house and had juice and English muffins delivered to my bedside before I even rolled out of the sack!  I'm tellin' ya...the queen treatment!   Back to work this morning and then sushi and great conversation with Janet at Sushi Axiom for lunch.  We rarely get to spend one on one time together since I am usually always three...not one, so it was a treat to say the least.  I am one lucky girl.

Me and my new car...

I cruised back home in my new car (which I love) and made it in one piece, thank the Lord.

My honeys greeted me with lots of hugs and kisses and even a welcome home drawing from Harrison and his daddy.  So, so good to be me!

(Again...Harrison was the creative director here...Roger was merely the artist and author)

Chickenless Hen House

On Saturday, the kids and I went out to visit my mother and father-in-law, Lynda & Billy. It was a beautiful day in North Texas and we took advantage of what seemed like the first sunny day in ages. We played outside and had a great time! Then Lynda and I took the kids to the Crossroads Country Store which is the feed store in Everman, TX that is owned by some family friends. Rachel (a.k.a. Chicken Woman) is giving me three hens from her farm behind the feed store. I am supposed to pick them up at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. I have no idea what they're going to look like. When she asked what I wanted, I only asked that they be almost or already laying...color didn't matter. She said she'd pick out three of the prettiest ones. Well, now all I can think about is what they're going to look like and what I'm going to name them. I'm SO excited! Rachel suggested that I transport them in a fruit sack so they don't tear up their beaks and feathers in a cage while on their five hour journey to the hill country. ( The old lady on the bus with the chicken under her arm that you see in the movies keeps coming to my mind!) I haven't quite worked out exactly how I'll get them there, but their new home awaits.

If all goes as planned, this lovely little dove pen attached to the old red barn will become the home for three pretty little hens this week. I still have to build some nesting boxes to mount on the walls, but other than that, it's ready to go. It opens up to the outside, as you can see, which will make it easy to let them roam free during the day. There is also a door on the back wall of the pen that allows access from inside the barn. This will make things easier on rainy days.

The wooden rod in the corner will be hung horizontally from the ceiling for a nice place for the hens to perch.

You can see that the nesting boxes shown here are much smaller than what a chicken would need. They must have been for doves. I am working on a box design that will have my girls feeling like queens! In the meantime, Lynda offered up the nesting boxes from her old chicken coop which will be perfect until I can build more. She also set me up with a galvanized feeder and waterer. I am lucky to have such a cool and generous mother-in-law!

There is ample room, sand on the floor, a heat lamp above, and the wire seems to be fairly new. There are a few cracks in some mortar between the rocks on the West wall that need to be repaired so that no snakes or rats can get in, but overall, I think we're in pretty good shape! All we need is the chickens! I will try my best to document the chicken exchange and report back tomorrow.