The Chicken Coop

The past 2 weeks at the Laing household have been fairly uneventful...not! During our ward campout, Evan decided to throw up. As we rushed home, he threw up 2 more times and then again later that afternoon. Consoling a baby that has a fever and cannot even keep Otter Pops down is tough. I am not going to include pictures...sorry! Thankfully the fever broke and his illness was gone by that night.

On Sunday, I became the Young Woman's Secretary in our Ward. We have 24 beehives! Patrick got called to teach the 8 year olds in Primary. Not sure what he thought really about receiving that call, but so far has done well and is needed for some unruly boys in the class.

My landlord invited me to her parents farm that boarders a part of our property. She explained that the 1 acre of Blueberries was bursting forth with fruit and it needed to be picked. Well I picked 20 lbs in 2 hours and didn't even get past the first row. She showed me around there 2 acre vegetable garden...hello? What do two people do with this food? Give it away to everybody and anybody! Nice! The elephant garlic and red potatoes made a nice addition to the foil packet dinners we had that night.



The dogs decided to run away last week. Roman showed up in the morning. We spent the better part of the next day looking for Wilson. It afforded us an opportunity to meet some of our neighbors. Finally the next morning, we resorted to signs. As soon as the first one was hung, someone from Animal Control called and said they were picking up a golden and it might be ours. Sure enough, it was. They had chased a bobcat or deer up the road and into someones property that has dogs. Of course, they didn't want to leave and the owners decided to kennel them for the night. Well resourceful Roman dug his way out and Wilson, being the hulk of a dog that he is, could not get through. You should have seen him shaking in the back of the Animal control truck. I don't think he'll ever wander off again.



My husband is not a handy man....but he has singlehandedly designed and built a chicken coop and run for our brood of seven hens. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, I'll give you that, but he did it all by himself and it only cost us $12 for hinges and hook and eye fasteners. Everything else was scrap wood from around the farm. We even found two rolls of chicken wire. Christian helped extensively, as well as the other kids. Patrick actually enjoyed building this! I think I am winning him over with my environmental, self sustaining, hippy ways!

Domestic Goddess

Today I was in rare form. We, meaning me, have been sick all week. There is nothing worse than being sick in the summer. But as the sun and my son woke me from a long slumber, I realized I felt pretty ok. Now there is nothing like a full day in bed to completely disrupt your plans so I had loads to get done today:
1. Launder 7 loads, some with yucky stuff in them
2. Pick up raspberries, buy various canning items, make raspberry jam for the first time ever!
3. Make Lunch and Dinner incorporating leftovers for frugality and creativity
4. Get kids to eat said items and not even know
5. Find more hidden fruit trees on property...another apple, cherry, 2 apricot, 2 peach...sweet!
7. Make yummy monster cookies...
8. Balance checkbook
9. Fold laundry while watching Kitchen Nightmare on FOX.com
10. Take pictures, download them, write post
All this accomplished while loving husband is working late and kids are all at home driving mommy crazy. Don't you love summer?

Family Reunion on Long Beach Washington

A fun time was had by all this last week at Long Beach Washington.
All of Patrick's family was in attendance.
They all made a grueling 14 hour drive to Oregon (some with babies!) to have a wonderful time on our farm. Patrick put them to work building a fence around our garden. The guys had a great time together getting something accomplished on the "farm".
During our week long get together, we ate like kings,


the kids played,

and the parents relaxed.

It was great. During our stay on the beach the llamas escaped yet again to our neighbors down the road. This time our landlord came and got them and put them in her parents pasture. No more llamas...Yeah!!! Now I have to figure out what to put in our pasture. I really want a cow!

Old MCLaing had a farm...E I E I O!!!!

....with a peep peep here and a bark bark there and a spit spit there and a Moooommmy Mooommmy there....what exactly does eieio mean? Now our little family lives in a 3 bedroom farmhouse with a huge barn and 30 acres to explore. The dogs are loving it and we have had no issues with keeping them on our land. They actually serve a useful purpose now. No Coyote or deer will wander onto our yard in the near future. Our laundry room sink has served as a bath for our youngest three children. Mud and dirt are constant companions of my sweet children. The second bath on the main has been housing our chickens...7 of them. We have had 2 fatalities and two elaborate funerals in the past two weeks. How do I break it to them that the bbq chicken we eat once was a baby chick too...ahh the circle of life. Well they are now in a lovely makeshift coop in the tool shed with a heat lamp for the next few weeks, then in the next few months, we will have all the omelets we want. I have performed more sliver removal surgeries this month than in all my motherhood years combined. I have conquered the fear of bugs. I have come to believe that weeds and thorns are really meant to torment man. I know why farmers get up at 5:00 in the morning. I am filthy by noon and....I LOVE EVERY STINKING MINUTE OF IT!!! My garden is in...at least all that could be planted this late in the season. Patrick dug post holes for a deer fence...23 to be exact. The blueberry irrigation is messed up so I have been trying to salvage 25 bushes . I think they will whether the storm but not produce a crop this year. That is all ok because we will have blackberries coming out our ears. With 3 apple trees heavy with fruit, 4 cherry trees and a Bartlett pear, I think we are set for fruit. Llamas....I have already chased them into the pasture from a escape attempt that resulted in meeting many of my nice neighbors. They tolerate me and spit at Patrick. I have yet to find a use for them and would still prefer a milking cow and some nice beef cattle. As you can see, I am busy. So busy and sweaty and sore that I don't have time to write or do much of anything else.
But as you can see I am surrounded by beautiful things. And God said, "It is good." And this summer will be a great one. Hope this all finds you happy and healthy and enjoying this wonderful summer.

We Have Lift off!! Houston...

Our family rented the Astronaut Farmer this weekend. I so could relate to the wife. Letting your husband have his dream is scary and stressful and downright insane....but sometimes it actually works out, Go Figure! Well this year has been filled with exhausting ups and downs, but I am glad that we didn't give in. Our pens touched paper today to lease a thirty acre paradise with a quaint farmhouse. The barn is amazing. Persistence pays off. Chickens, Goats, two Lamas, blueberries, apples, organic garden, all of it is ours to do with what we will! For all those that prayed for us, thanks. It worked! So Patrick gets his dream of owning his own company and I get my dream of living on a farm (not just a piece of land and a house with no other purpose...there has to be a purpose....mowing 5 acres of lawn does not serve a purpose). So pray for me that I can move yet again without killing my husband or my kids.

Greetings from Daddy-Laing

Hi ya'll....

Em just informed me that I could actually add to this blog. I've enjoyed reading it but it didn't even occur to me that I could actually WRITE something (go figure, I'm on a computer for 10 hours a day it seems, but--alas--am still about as technical as a turnip, I'll admit).

Isn't Em a great writer! (I just had to mention that before I forget....) :0)

My technical expertise, or lack thereof, is the stuff of legend around the Laing and Armstrong homes. We used to look forward to her dad's bi-annual visits to Utah because I could save up all the semi-major and major honey-do's for him to accomplish while in town. Now that he lives across town we (1) never see him and (2) have a growing list of broken items and house projects that have yet to be done.

Personally, I am a firm believer in hiring professionals to do what professionals do every day. That's why I (we) didn't put in our own sprinkling system or finish our own basement in Utah. Time is money and it typically--in my mind--will cost me more to first figure out how to do something, second try to do it, third go get Em to help me figure out how to do it right, call up her dad to help us when we both get stuck, and--what are we at--fifth, take it to the repair shop after all and pay to have them undo what I've done. (One good example was the roto tiller we recently borrowed that I took a part and couldn't put back together; I think Em may have mentioned this to you).

Fixing things--or trying to--is also hard on the bod. You all heard about my 4 broken ribs and dislocated shoulder, I assume. I wasn't even trying to actually FIX anything. I was just up on the ladder, looking at the chimney, trying to figure out what it would take (for someone else) to come fix it. Our 100 lb. horse named Wilson knocked down the ladder ... and I ended up in a neck brace in the E.R.

Anyway. Just let me say thanks to each of you ... for being there for Em while we figure out where to land ... for buoying her up while I get our fledgling company off the ground ... for cheering her on while she and I rent for the first time in 15 years ... for being her friends as she goes through all the ups and downs of life, family and marriage to me. It's not always the easiest thing, I know. But I love her for it and I'm so glad we're a team.

We're almost there--I keep telling her to hang on. Our farm house, our acreage, our chickens and our cow ... they are just around the corner. Eggs and milk anyone? I'm sure we'll have plenty to share.

Ciao, Bionic WomEn

Patrick

Again!?!

No go on the house...glad I didn't post pics. It just wasn't coming together. Nailing down jello is just hard to do. We were planning on moving this weekend, and now it is a no go. Life is like a box of chocolates....somebody ate all the good ones and you are left with the crappy soft centers that will do in a pinch, but not the dark chocolate carmels you were so hoping for. So for now, not moving, not packing, and things have only got to get better. Patrick has a huge smile on his face and just as optimistic as they come. Glad we didn't settle though....we are meant to have land....all I can say girls, is follow the spirit. Yes, it is true, sometimes he tells you to chop off some evil doers head, or say hi to your annoying neighbor, but you gotta do it even if it hurts. Here's to doing the tuff stuff...may we all get stronger by doing so.