Deb’s Little Red Hen House
Dear sisters,
It’s true! My hen house has a twin. An IDENTICAL twin! And that’s not all. My handsome Yankee and I made some new friends to boot! Come on in and meet Donna, Ken and their girls and get a peek their NEW Little Red Hen House.
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Love the potting shed, the rock walls, the coop, the girls, the post and the blog. Happy 4th to all. #6244
Hi Sharon,
Glad you enjoyed… thanks so much for reading and your note too. Hope you had a wonderful 4th!
xo Deb
Love the pictures….cute chicken coop….garden is beUtiful too . Im jealous….wanting a chicken. Coop!
Me too, Susan! I am green with potting shed envy!!!
xo Deb
Love the coop, just what I’d have if we could in our area. Love too the potting shed and what a beautiful setting the garden/yard is. Isn’t it fun to be blessed with new friends. God bless.
Hi Joan,
Yes, new friends are always such a blessing and a wonderful surprise too! xo Deb
Thanks for sharing !! Great pix and great design. Maybe you could draw up your chicken coop plans and have them available to download for a nominal fee ? Sounds like all your experience would be appreciated by newcomers to chicken keeping! 🙂
Hi Laura,
Now that’s an idea we’ve thought of but just haven’t had the time to get r’ done! Great minds, right? Thanks for stopping by today 🙂
xo Deb
It’s all so picture perfect! I grew up with chickens and had some 12 years ago but life and moves get in the way. Pray to have a sweet coop again in the near future. Love the yard, garden shed and of the hen house of course!! Lucky all of you! Best wishes for a wonderful year.
Hi Lisa,
Ken and Donna’s patch of paradise is a world of it’s own. They’ve really outdone themselves. We wish you all the best for having chickens again one day! Thanks for reading too!
Hugs,
Deb
Hi Deb,
What a great job they did on the hen house! 🙂 We get a lot of enquiries on our flower cart and recently I asked my son-in-law (who built it) if it was hard seeing it copied and he said, “No. It is the best compliment that so many people want to copy it.” I really liked that! So, you can consider it a huge compliment that so many folks want to copy your hen house… I sure want to!!! We are actually in the beginning stages of designing ours and I keep having my husband look at yours! 🙂
This was a great post and I loved looking at Donna’s blog. Isn’t it a great day when you meet new friends?!
Hugs,
Dori
Hi Dori!
I agree… I think it’s fun when others are inspired enough by ” someone” or ” something” that gets them moving in a creative and positive direction. To me, that’s what makes this amazingly creative world go ’round!
Hey, ever since I saw your flower stand I’ve been on the lookout of my very own rusty red and yellow truck bed…Everything about yours is perfect and in my colors too! 🙂 Your flower stand is how we met!
It’s always a great day when we meet new friends!
Hugs,
Deb
Great post Deb!
Thanks, Margie!
Deb,
I love both your hen house AND your potting shed! Beautiful! What an inspiration.
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl)
Hi Nicole,
Thanks my dear! The potting shed is Donna’s but hers has inspired me for when I build mine.
Hugs,
Deb
Love the hen house…so very cute and the garden is lovely. Thanks for showing us.
Thank you, Rowena!They really do have a beautiful home, garden and coop!
xo Deb
Thank you Deb for sharing you idea, measurements and all the details of your hen house. I loved yours and now mine too. What a wonderful post from you. I enjoyed it so much. I made the strawberry rhubarb jelly and have a jar for you. Thought I would have it when you came by, but time really flew by. I’ll bet you gardens are looking wonderful about now. I was thinking how there was nothing there when we came by and how we looked at your seeds. Why does summer go so quickly?
Thank you again for your kindness and down home farm girl friendship!
I think my RRRRRRRR is broke too many yous instead of your!