Cupula, bell tower and snow bunny, Oh My!~

We have had an exceptionally mild Michigan winter, until we didn't. 10.5 inches in less than 24 hours of thick, wet, beautiful snow. I couldn't resist taking some photos...

Bobby Boop, snow bunny extraordinaire!~

My grandma's swing. Love the snow caused cascading evergreen!~

Sunroom & cupula. Front and back. Built by my amazing husband!~

Gazebo!~

Bell tower - can't wait to find the right bell!~

We have french doors that have been waiting in our shed for some time for just the right use - I think they might be perfect replacement doors for the front entrance!~

Kid's fort!~ (built by my man)

grapevine wreaths on shed

My talented husband built the fence and structures in next couple photos. Seriously so thankful for his skills!~

Horse shed!~

Dakota & Goldie. Sweet miniatures & brothers who would be lost without each other.

Chicken coop!~ The chicks are staying where they are warm.

A touch of water in creek bed. 

So pretty in real life!~

peek-a-boo!~

From our farm to you!~

Enjoy something beautiful today... or silly, 
like a bunny in a flower pot!~

Hollyhocks & Hydrangeas

I took a little stroll through my yard this evening...    

    .... and thought I'd let the photos speak for themselves.

 ...these last 3 were from a few days ago...

The Summer of the French Chicken....

It happened the summer of 2010.  We had a sweet girl from France come to intern with Forrester Farm for 10 weeks.  Alize and 64 other agricultural students from Esipta, needed to secure 8 weeks of internship experience in an English speaking country.  Alize found us through Local Harvest, and I'm so glad that she did.  We worked, played, camped and worked some more.  The internship was as much about helping with Forrester Farm weddings and flowers as it was about experiencing the culture of the area.  We learned from Alize and she learned from us.  She even changed her opinion about camping being only for "old people"!

While Alize was with us, we needed to construct a chicken coop for our little flock that we had purchased in the spring.  Inspired by a friend who mentioned turning a corn crib into a gazebo, my husband and I decided to use that idea for a chicken coop.  We tend to optimistically jump into a project, only to realize later just how long that project might take.  It really became the whole summer project - between my husband's work, Forrester Farm weddings, farmer's market vending days, camping and some other fun excursions like ice cream runs, trips to the beach and outdoor concerts.  By the end of the summer, I had decided that the summer of 2010 would always be remembered in my mind as the Summer of the French Chicken.

Here is the completed coop.  We do just want to paint the roof yet.  I love that we can gather eggs from the little doors on the outside - they open into the nesting boxes for easy gathering.

Cooped up and ready to be set free:

Our favorite rooster of all time - Henry.  He would actually run to us if we called his name.  Alize loved picking him up. 

If Alize were with us this summer, I know that she would be smiling at the new flock additions.

At the end of the summer 2010, our coop was completed, Alize returned to France, and ever since, she refers to me as her American mum.  I gained a "French daughter", a friend, and so many memories.