Welcome to Our Coop

the ole coop builder himself

the coop is about 98% complete, better to see those

fall leaves and not snow.  after much love in labor by my honey, we are sooo close. since these pics were taken we have worked on the trim pieces that cover the spaces between the boards and now to get their roost built and get the horse trough set up for their nesting boxes.  they officially moved into their new digs on sunday evening.  it was so pretty that we almost stayed the night in their first, but our soft bed after working won out.

he built the walls with new 2x4's and then used
the old barn wood siding and old 2x's for the roof
and old tin to cover it ~ it is sturdy as an ox yet looks
like it has been here for decades ~ character

welcome to the berry good life farm chicken coop

old hardware we left on

working on some window trim

the backside

really did not make much of a dent on the ole barn wood pile

remember the old barn we tore down ~ it lives on
a lot of hard work ~~ but we absolutely love it
my husband is the sweetest
and i am the luckiest

A Country Auction

Saturday was a gorgeous fall day spent with my honey at a local farm auction
 where we enjoyed the whole day together.
 And although at first glance we saw a lot of junk, there
are always those little things that if the price is right,
you may be willing to take it home with you.
Now I have been to many a auction, but this one had the most food
choices including in the morning fresh homemade pies and cakes.
The gooey butter was delish.  And when we got our lunch
I was able to put homemade pickles on my cheeseburger, we aren't in Jefferson County, MO anymore.

this building was sold for 3 bucks, somebody will be tearing it down for the barn wood

quilts, blankets & afghans

quilt on the line, i loved this one but sold for over 50

check out this old barn ~ this farm is over 3 generations

cool cart ~ didn't get to bid on
this auction had enough stuff that they had
two rings going, so it was hard to keep up at times

building was sold too, and this neat old
dry sink sold for over 200 buckaroos
(not neat enough for me)

at these old farmsteads you get to see neat things
on the property ~ like this long tunnel of grapevines

be careful at country auctions ~ you may come home with a load of goodies
had i rode in the back of the truck with all of this good stuff
the clampett's we would be called!
some goodies for us and some resell
ooh you can see the progress on the coop in the background

picked up 2 cool feeders
one for feed & one for plants

close-up of the old hand made quilt
i will cut up into pillows
this pic looks good, but it is very rough

quilt top made of men's pj's (i believe)
the cool thing is the quilt i didn't bid on
that sold for over 50, is this same material
but i only paid 5 for this, it was in the
wrong place so the quilt buyers were not nearby
to run the price up guess i can practice quilting it this winter

patio soda bottles from pepsi
so cool & retro
etsy here they come

ohh yea, whilst i was bidding away on my goodies
look what papa was buying!
will those boys be happy or what?
give those corn fields heck guys!

Quilts ~ Quilts ~ Quilts

This is all about quilts, our family quilts.  

Quilts that I have seen my whole life, heard the stories of who made them many times.  

But it wasn't until a recent visit with my Mom caused me to take another look at them.  

You see, I have this desire to simplify our life, to get down to the important things, 

the simplest things. The basics.

To learn how to bake bread, sew, cook better, grow more food, 

get debt free, raise chickens. . . . . well the list drags on for miles.

So, I decided to stop in the local quilt fabric shop and take a gander at all the pretty fabric, 

because I am trying to create a few homemade items for Christmas.

While chatting about being new to the area, my lack of sewing abilities, 

and our desire to start a berry and bee farm,

the owner suggests that I take a quilt class for beginners ~ 'Quilting 101'.

After convincing my honey that this a good investment, 

I paid my 75 bucks and got my name on the list.

Then I find out I need to bring my portable sewing machine 

(ahem, the one I had . . . not so portable)

So now, Jill must invest in a sewing machine that is portable 

(thank goodness for eBay~ and money in my paypal account)

Yesterday was my much awaited first quilting session.

We learned basic terminology, what we were going to do in each session, 

and we got to pick out and purchase our fabric for 

our table top/wall hanger star quilt.

 .

Might I say, I am terribly excited about this. ~ Terribly!

I am dreaming of all the quilts I can make for all the people I love.

You can be sure there will be pictures of this journey.

Don't worry, I have warned the ladies, my camera will be in tow next week!

Next session:  Cutting!

~ Our families quilts ~

This quilt is so simple, yet so beautiful

Quilted by Great Grandmother Pearl Hale (Jackson)  ~  1873-1966

My Grandmother Elizabeth Miller (Ervin)  ~  1918-1990
made this quilt top when she was teenager,
 so in the late 20's or early 30's she created this.

I would like some things to go back the way they were when my grandparents were young.

We are making little changes now, and someday everyone may have to change.
But will those skills still be there?

I wish every single day that my grandparents were still alive.
I wish that my Grandma Miller could give me baking and sewing tips,
that my Grandma Correll could teach how to crochet and we could snack on some fried okra on my front porch,
hear the stories retold from my Grandpa Miller about his childhood and his years in the Navy,
go fishing one more time with my Grandpa Correll and learn the calls of all the birds outside my window.
We sure can learn a lot from previous generations.  

Made from flour and/or sugar sacks by my Great Grandma Hale

Such adorable prints, such tiny handmade stitches.
Why isn't the world resourceful like this anymore?
Coffee came in jars we could use later for flour,
flour and sugar came in these pretty printed bags so people
could create quilts and clothing for their family.
Shortage of food?  Then grow a victory garden.
Be more self-sufficient.

Beautiful pairings of colors.
It sure did take a lot of sacks to make all those tiny squares.

I love this one.  Will I ever be good enough to make one like this??
You know they have reproduction 1940's prints at the quilt shop,
it would be a huge task, but I am not getting any younger.
 And there is no time like the present.
Although this quilt is much older than the 1940's.

This quilt my Mom has memories of her family carrying in the trunk of
their car in the 1960's as an emergency blanket and for spreading out for picnics.

My Grandmother Elizabeth Miller (Ervin) ~ her grandmother ~ my Great Great Grandmother (Firth)
made this quilt and it came over from England (give me time and I will dig up when).

My hopes are to find out some of the names of these quilts from my quilt teacher next week.

I don't know about you all, but am just sew darn happy right now.
Hope your week is full of treasures!

some weekend things

this weekend was wonderful
it was our anniversary
the weather was wonderfully cool & crisp
dad came over to help and hangout
we built a coop (almost)

the guys with the first wall

she thinks she smells a mole

our little country lane

whiskers on the old barn wood

honey working hard all weekend

Sunday's gorgeous sunset

 ~ my husband is a wonderful man ~
loving, gentle, loyal, funny, cute, strong,
hard working, a dreamer, a realist,
his family is his priority
i am his partner
his goal is fulfilling our dreams
~ he is the man of my dreams, the man i always dreamed was out there
the man who loves me just the way i am ~
i am the luckiest woman alive
happy wedding day & yes i will marry you
over & over & over again