::while we wait lets buy some chickens::

Nothing really important to report on the house right now.  We are supposed to close on the financing in about 2-3 weeks.  Once we close my contractor assures me that she is diving in full force.  She is predicting 8 weeks of work!!!  8 weeks?!?!?!?  Can that even be possible?  I feel like it should take way longer, but I have some mad trust in this woman.  Even if it takes 12 weeks that would be us moving in the last week of June.  I can't even cope with that, it is so awesome.  


This is such a dream for me.  We are not wealthy people.  We are not financially perfect in anyway.  We have dealt with some crazy credit debt from our 20's and learning to be frugal in our 30's.  Now we are transitioning into our 40's.  When I interviewed builders about building a custom house they told me we had to put 20% down just to talk about it.  It wasn't something that I felt like we could do quickly.  I thought we had five years or so of me being out of grad school before we could even talk about building or doing a major reno.  This newer 203K loan program makes it possible now for me to get the chance to do such an amazing project. 
 

BUT - what did we settle for?  We got a smaller house than what we really wanted.  This house will not be larger than our old house - which was on the small side for us.  The new house is 2,000 ft square and will not be getting expanding.  But this house has the kicker of 600 square feet for Josh as his dude room, and about 340 square feet of shed space that we are going to finish for the kids rec room.  Plus the barn space to play in and the green house for me.  It being one story is also good for us in the long run, once we are old we will be glad for the single story.  If you made me take truth serum I would tell you that I always dreamed of that HUGE two story farm house, but this place is going to do right by me.  I just feel so bonded to this place.  It's singing my song.  I know I am going to spend at least the next five years making the outside right, and I look forward to the work.  I have big dreams for this place.  Just wait and see.
  

While we wait for the farm to get going, spring has arrived.  I LOVE SPRING!!!  I must have babies in spring.  Which can mean all kinds of different things.  This year it means baby poultry.  In January I got 12 chicks, 6 barred rock and 6 americauna (which lay blue eggs).  I was shocked when all 12 lived.  Here they are nine weeks old and doing wonderful.  They have moved from the brooder and into a dog run at our new farm.   Soon we will start on their coop and runs at the new place. 

   Then the boys got me to buy them three baby ducks.  A totally spontaneous buy, but I couldn't help it.  Ducks are my weakness.  I just love them.  The kids named them Rock Jaw Crusher (Quinn), Lego (Max), and Mozzarella (Lily).  

They lived in our rental garage till they where old enough to move into the outdoor pen we have in the back yard of our rental house.  Big thanks to Josh for just building it and not being too mad about the poultry influx.  I am going to buy some of my favorite duck breed, Cayugas, to hatch and love on.  Wait till you see the duck pen I have planned that will drain into the garden.

 

Then yesterday I lost my mind.  I was in tractor supply to buy feed for every creature and I lost my marbles on 6 new babies.  I had zero intention of buying more chickens.  12 is too many.  Right this second I own 18.  I couldn't help myself.  They had some breeds that I love.  They had some Silkies (which I have always wanted), some Light Brahma, and some Austrolorp.  The only breeds I still want to have now are Black Cooper Maran (lay dark brown eggs) and Olive Eggers (obviously lay green eggs).  Maybe I will still add them after our coop and runs are done.