It's with a humble heart that I sit here and jot down this post today.
You guys continue to amaze me with your encouragement and kindness.
I've seen the light!
I'm going to be just fine, just fine (I'm saying that like Andy Griffith).
I'm recovering from an ear and sinus infection - it's amazing what a little extra fluid in your head can do.
I'm sure that's what made me so whiny last week.
Yesterday was the worst day so far - I literally spent most of the day reorganizing my Pinterest boards.
I'm almost embarrassed to say that.
Daytime television is unbearable.
One day, I'll figure out how to add a 'follow me on Pinterest button' on here - but in the meantime, if you want to - just look for Jayme Goffin.
Without further adieu, it's time to give some stuff away!
I'm planning on doing a giveaway every week for the month of March as a way to thank you for all of your encouragement and kindness.
First on the chopping block is two books from Storey Publishing.
I've been pouring over these books the last couple of weeks and I love them.
The pictures alone are fantastic - but the content even better.
If you have chickens, if you want chickens, if you want to dream about getting chickens..these books are for you. Don't let the hatching book scare you - it's a fabulous resource about chickens, whether or not you ever plan on hatching an egg or not.
I love Storey books - they've been a constant companion of mine since I left Chicago and moved out to the cornfields in Indiana.
I'm completely convinced that keeping chickens is good for your health.
Sure - there are a few challenges - like poop - rooster fights - raccoons, and assorted devilment, but all in all - I can't imagine a life without chickens anymore. They calm me when I'm stressed, entertain me, make breakfast for me, and all in all add such a dimension of pleasure to my life.
I hope so hard that you'll give it a go.
Leave me a comment and let me know which book you'd love - if you'd love them both - let me know.
That's all.
No hoops - no blood to let - nothing to join or follow.
From the deepest part of my heart - I thank you.
You all make a difference in my life.
Have been reading your blog for a while...feel like you echo the thoughts in my head sometimes. Trying to decide how many spring chicks to order this year, my husband and I would love to either or both of those books!
ReplyDeleteWell, how cool is this?! I hope you're just fine, Jayme. This has been a long dang winter.. and I am ready to move on to Spring and happier times. happier times like chicks & bees & gardening and such :) Either book would be fine with me. They both look amazing, and right up my chickie alley. Hugs and thanks... Tammy
ReplyDeleteWe started raising our own chickens last year, and I know what you mean about them calming you...they are a pleasure to 'hang out' with in the yard and their antics never cease to amuse us. I feel for them with all our cold and snowy weather and can't wait for Spring.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be entered in your wonderful giveaway. I have several chicken raising books, so I think the reinventing the chicken coop book looks really interesting.
Thank you for the fun!
We just bought a farm property and even have the remnants of a chicken coop out in the back. We would love to have one or both books so that we can learn just how to do the "whole thing". We also have honey bees in the chimney...do you have any books on that? :))))))
ReplyDeleteI've been following your blog for a while now. I'm so happy you decided to continue it. Last week we went to Chicago to visit our son and as we were coming into town went by the Paul Mitchell school and I thought of you and Aaron. We recently gave away our chickens and coop because my husband started work out of state and I miss them terribly. I would love to own the chicken coop book. Thank you for offering it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you haven't been feeling well... Hopefully you'll feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteAwesome giveaway Jayme, couldn't come at a better time for us. We just got our very first chicks this past Saturday!! If I was the lucky winner (finger's crossed), I'd love the "Reinventing the chicken coop" book. Got the chicks, they are in the house under a heat lamp, but they will need a home of their own soon. :-)
good morning Jayme hope by this morning you are feeling better. I would love the book of reinventing the chicken coop. We have been blessed with the sweetest daughter in law in the last few years and she wants chickens in the worst way. I would love this book for her!!!! She seems to think I know almost everything and that I am a genius so lets not spoil that for her and I can present this book to her!!!! Hope That boy Aaron (he will always be the young kid from when I first "met" you over the phone) is not so homesick anymore. Well he must be homesick thats a rule but that he moves on from there. How lucky you are he loves his Marmie so much!!!! Doesn't get better than that. Nancy Settel sheepishgrin92@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteOhh! Thank you for such a great giveaway! I would like a chance for both, it's my dream to own chickens, and I bought one book on the subject already so Id love to learn more. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI'll take either book, or really I'd like both. Two of my besties raise chickens. I just reap their benefits!
ReplyDeletePatti
PS Get well soon
I will enter, if I happen to win, promise you will give them to one of your bestest chicken raisers. At almost 74, it is one project I will have to put on hold for another life! I will let you choose . . . if I should win!
ReplyDeleteI went back and read your last few posts. I am just catching up from being gone when my brother passed and last week we had a big trial that took the whole week.
ReplyDeleteI read your every word. The think I like about coming here is that you are so real-so true to what lies in your heart and soul. There is no filtering out of the truth and making life pretty....on days it's NOT pretty.
I think you are becoming an empty nester and there are so many emotions that go along with that. He is close to your heart but removed physically. There is no easy cure for it-you just kind of grow into shift from being yours into being their own...and then, Lord willing, they come back to you in so many unexpected ways.
You are doing great and I hope you get a job at Starbucks. It would be good for you and you would be good for them. My daughter managed one for several years until she moved and she loved it....and so did I- (I got her free pound of coffee a week).
Have a really good day, Jayme. I am not signing up for the giveaway as I will probably never own another chicken in my life...lol Love to you- Diana
I forgot about the free coffee from Starbucks. My son worked at one for several years. He hasn't worked there for probably three years now and we are just using up the last of the coffee.
DeleteLordy Lordy . . . Be gone with that sinus infection! Mis-er-a-ble!
ReplyDeleteI don't want or need the books, so please let them go to someone else. I just wanted to say Yay, get back to the chickens. It's all about the chickens:-)
ReplyDeleteI completely sympathize with your sinus and ear infection. My girlies and I have been fighting the same thing for a couple of weeks now...ugggh. I'd really really love to enter your giveaway. I'm not sure which book I'd like best seeing that I could put both to good use. We have chickens and plan on getting more this spring. I've already been to Rural King to check out the new babies. We started out with grown chickens, so I'm not entirely confident about the peeps. Then...we plan on rebuilding our coop this spring too because it has a terrible leak that we just can't seem to remedy other than just starting fresh. I'll enter for both and be content with one or both. Thank you for the great opportunity...BTW mostly thankful you're still blogging. It's truly a highlight with my cup o joe!
ReplyDeleteNot going to enter your contest, as I am just on an acre here and we are not suppose to have chickens, though I think I coud have three and the neighbors would probably not care. Its such a craze right now, so it seems. Both of the books look interesting though. I might still have to go to Barnes and Noble and check out some "chick" books and totally get to understanding this whole fascination. It must be wonderful to have fresh eggs. I was paying a $1.69 for a dozen. Augh! Talk about wanting to tag on your grocery bills to see how much is spent, or maybe not. Well, we just this last summer built my outbuilding I have wanted. I actually call it "The Hen House" kind of a girls backyard hideaway. It has a lean to and firepit area as well. It was either that or find me a "squirrel" and keep it for the most part in the yard. I adore yours!! Do I dare suggest a Coop now to the hubs?? Wonder what that response would be? He actually spent alot of his childhood summers on his grandparents farms in southern Illinois and loved it. He is a farmboy at heart. Jayme, your life is so full and rich in so many ways. I still think the whole adjustment to Aaron leaving the nest has been so hard on you, the M hormones (or lack of) and just everyday lifes ups and downs. Well, it can send us in a spin. Hang in there and for gosh sakes...KEEP BLOGGING! You have such a great heart. Love your shares, and I see by the posts that a few are suffering this sinus infection that I have as well. It always happens to me about this time of year. So frustrating. Come on SPRING!
ReplyDeleteMy Chicken Mansion is two years old and so are my two hens, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart. I lost Rosa Parks about a year ago and my newest hen Maya Angelou turned out to be Michelangelo! So I am adding three new chicks in April...they are already on order...I am so excited. I love having chickens...who would believe this city girl would do THAT? I would love the Hatching book, maybe I will get brave enough to try that too!
ReplyDeleteI'm not entering the contest because I am scared to death of chickens so I don't need the books but I am happy to hear you are feeling better. And...I totally understand the Pinterest obsession.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are feeling good! A little spring, a visit to TSC hearing those little chicks peep can do most people good! We raise turkeys as well as chickens so I would love that hatching book! I have even looked at it on Amazon in this past week.. but didn't buy. :(
ReplyDeleteTil next time!
Me! Me! Pick me!! We just ordered our first chicks and they will be arriving in 2 weeks! I need either of these books! :) my hubs is building our coop as we speak. He is transforming it from our old wooden swing set!! He's amazing like that. :) I cannot wait to get the chicks, we are in city limits so we can only have 6 in our town, but it's going to be awesome, I just know it! We also homeschool so I'm excited about learning about these feathered friends with my kids!
ReplyDeletePopping in to tell you that it's wonderful to hear that you are feeling better. (Weird how we worry about people that we are attached to, but have never had the pleasure to meet in person.)
ReplyDeleteDon't put me in your drawing. One day I will convince my husband that life with chickens is good. Until then, I will live vicariously through friends' chickens ... I count yours among them.
First I need to build the coop......or I should say, I will need to hire someone to build the coop. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe land has been bought...the house plans are being drawn up....my pockets are empty...would love to win the coop book! Thanks!
Since we just built a chicken coop, I would like the book about hatching chickens. I would love to have a broody hen, but I would have to rent her out to a rooster as we can't keep roosters where we live. We just got six chicks and I am going to give it a go at raising them so we can have fresh eggs. Right now I figure we have paid about forty dollars an egg so far!
ReplyDelete...and you make a big difference in my life Jayme. Every time I pop in to see if there is a new post and I notice that the amount of posts have gone up a number, I squeal with delight and feel like I could tinkle down my leg. Your posts bring me so much happiness. I hope you heal quickly.-Tracy
ReplyDeleteI would be thrilled to win either of the books! Thanks for the give-away and thanks for not giving up your blog!
ReplyDeleteturtletopp07 at aol dot com
Your photos give me spring fever Jayme -- I'm not in the running for your books, but, just wanted to tap out a 'feel better quick'.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Barbra.
Jayme, you are a dear! My old coup is falling apart and I need to build another one! So Reinventing the Chicken Coop would be timely!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are feeling better!
Lynda
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJayme, I love to read your posts, they make me realize that everyone out there is human, and has hard times and great times and lots in between. I have had my fair share, believe you me!!! But life is good, keep it simple, love that boy child and life will give you more joy than you could imagine. Stop the worrying and frettin' chick!! You give alot of people hope and share your wordly wisdom, you pay your dues, and the Lord will surely glorify you all your life! I have so much in common with you as far as them chickens, girl, I love having me some chickens in that yard, they make life normal for me. I would love to have both those books, but whoever wins, good for them! Listen, I want you to have a most stupendous day, spring is just around the corner, peeps are gonna be peepin' and the sun is gonna be a shinin'!! So spread that glorious smile across that beautiful face and take a deep breath, all is well, you are truly blessed <3 <3
ReplyDeleteJayme, I am glad that you are feeling better - Spring is on the way! I do enjoy reading your blog you put a little smile to my face. Anyhoo.. i do raise chickens (for eggs only). Either book would be appreciated but Reinventing the coop would probably be helpful since we need to build a new one.
ReplyDeletethanks for making me smile
Barb
So good to hear more from you Jayme! I have been wanting to adopt some chickens for quite some time, but I want to have a good home for them first. I think I would choose the Reinventing the Coop as my first choice. They both look like a great resource for beginners such as I am. Thanks for all of the good reads and smiles! I always look forward to your posts!
ReplyDeleteLori
Hi Jayme...I would love to Reinvent my Coop!!! :-) You still crack me up lady!!!
ReplyDeleteAs I write, I'm listening to the chirping of 2 doz. 4-wk. old chicks who are residing in the office. I truly enjoy my chickies! We order day-old chicks, but have thought about hatching out our own, so I think I would like the hatching book.
ReplyDeleteLoralie
slmartin at vtc dot net
HI Jayme! Blame your feelings on Indiana weather, one day its snowing and the next 50's with rain!! I think everyone is just ready for spring and color. Either book would be great, my first choice would be to Reinvent the Coop! Hang in there girl, you know Indiana weather, it will change soon!!
ReplyDeleteI would love either one! And I would would love some hens, we have a stray rooster hanging out on our place and I think he is lonely ! kathy
ReplyDeletereinventing sounds like great fun!! would love to win that one! haha
ReplyDeleteRain
I would love have either book - I dream of having chickens! I really need to learn more about them and how to care for them first.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Karen
lemontart5kb at gmail dot com
I love your blog!
It's time for me to get some chicks! They're both great looking books, but I would especially love the Hatching and Brooding one. How exciting to be able to hatch your own chicks. Love your blog!! Stacey stacey66 at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteyou look absolutely wonderful!! What diet did you follow? I know you exercised. Great job girlfiriend!!!
ReplyDeleteGood evening Jayme, I would enjoy either of these two wonderful books. Come May, six new chicks will be joining the flock here at Dog Trot Farm. Wishing you luck with your open house, wish I could attend, I just know you will have lots of wonderful goodies to offer. Greetings from Maine, Julie.
ReplyDeleteHi Jayme!
ReplyDeleteWould love either book! But what I'd really love is a visit from Helene! She makes me laugh till it runs down my leg!!!
I've been wanting chickens for several years but my husband is concerned our Siberian Husky would try to kill them. Maybe the coop book will have a "huskyproof" coop!
ReplyDelete