🐓 From Coop to Kitchen: Farm Fresh Eggs & How to Use Every One

Hey there, y’all! Samantha here from Chickens, Cookies & Closings—your favorite apron-wearing, egg-collecting, contract-closing, cookie-baking homestead mama. Whether I’m helping folks find their dream home or helping Reba (our Rhode Island Red) find the perfect straw nest, one thing’s for sure: this gal is all about making the most of what we’ve been blessed with.

And let me tell ya, when you’ve got seven hens and a Silkie named Felicia who thinks she’s a queen (because she is), you end up with A LOT of eggs. We’re talkin’ more than just breakfast… we’re talking baking, preserving, sharing, and maybe even bartering with the neighbors for some fresh goat cheese (don’t judge—it’s the homestead hustle).

So, today I’m cracking open (see what I did there?) some tips, tricks, and tasty ideas for using every last glorious golden-yolked egg from your coop to your kitchen.

🥚 Why Farm Fresh Eggs Are Basically a Gift from Heaven

First of all, if you’ve never cracked open a warm, just-laid egg from your own hen, then you’re missing a spiritual experience. That rich orange yolk? That shell that actually has character? Store-bought eggs just can’t compete, bless their little processed hearts.

Farm fresh eggs are:

• Packed with nutrients (like omega-3s, vitamins A & E)

• Tastier than commercial eggs (fact, not opinion)

• Laid with love (at least around here)

They’re also a daily reminder that simple things can be the most extraordinary—kind of like fresh bread, a handwritten note, or watching your son chase chickens in his pajamas. 💛

🍳 Cracking the Code: How to Use Every Single Egg

Now let’s talk about what to DO with all these eggs! Whether you’re drowning in dozens or just starting out, here’s how to make the most of every single one.

🥞 1. Breakfast, But Make It Fancy

We all know eggs and breakfast go together like Cory and I on a Saturday morning coffee run.

• Soft scramble them with a little cream and chives.

• Over-easy on sourdough with avocado and microgreens (look at you, fancy homesteader).

• Shakshuka if you’re feeling spicy.

• Egg muffins with bacon and cheese—make ahead and freeze!

🍰 2. Bake Your Heart Out

Honey, you KNOW I love a good baking session.

• Cookies (obviously)

• Homemade noodles (just eggs, flour, and elbow grease)

• Pavlova for those leftover whites when you make mayo or custards

• Cakes, muffins, and scones, oh my!

🧂 3. Preserve Like a Pioneer

If your hens are laying like overachievers, try preserving!

• Water glassing eggs for winter storage (our great-great-grandmas knew what was up)

• Pickled eggs with a little beet juice for sass

• Freezing eggs (crack into silicone molds, freeze, then bag—easy peasy)

🐓 4. Share the Love (and the Eggs)

Nothing says “I love you and also I have too many eggs” like dropping off a dozen on a neighbor’s porch.

• Tie a cute ribbon on the carton.

• Add a handwritten recipe card (psst… include your cookies!)

• Make a community connection—bonus points if they’re future clients 😉

🍳 5. Bonus: Don’t Forget the Shells!

Yep. Even the shells have a job!

• Crushed into garden beds for calcium.

• Baked and blended for your chickens’ own feed.

• Compost gold that keeps the cycle going.

🙌 The Big Picture

Raising chickens isn’t just about eggs—it’s about intentional living. It’s about teaching our kids where their food comes from. It’s about slowing down. It’s about taking what God gave us and using it well.

So whether you’re scrambling, baking, preserving, or giving back—know this: you’re doing a beautiful thing. And you’re not alone. I’m right here in the coop trenches with ya, egg basket in hand, flour on my apron, and contracts in the truck.

From my coop to your kitchen—use those eggs with purpose, pride, and a pinch of pepper.

Until next time, keep your chickens happy, your cookies gooey, and your closings smooth.

Blessings and biscuits,
Samantha 🐓🍪🔑
Chickens, Cookies & Closings

📚 Kitchen Confidence: How to Teach Kids to Cook Without Losing Your Sanity

Hey, friend! I see you there, standing in your flour-dusted kitchen, eye twitching ever-so-slightly as your five-year-old enthusiastically “measures” flour with the precision of a confetti cannon. First of all—deep breath. Second of all—you’re doing amazing, sweetie.

Here at ChickensCookiesClosings, we believe in real estate, real food, and really embracing the chaos. And if you’re ready to teach your kids how to cook without losing your marbles (or your measuring spoons), this one’s for you.

👩‍🍳 Why Even Bother?

Let’s be honest: teaching kids to cook can be the fastest way to turn a clean kitchen into a disaster zone. But hear me out—there’s magic in the mess. You’re not just teaching them how to crack an egg (hopefully not on the floor), you’re giving them confidence, creativity, and connection.

Also? One day they’ll be able to make you breakfast in bed. I mean, hello.

Step 1: Lower the Bar Like It’s Limbo Night

This is not Top Chef Junior: Homestead Edition. The goal is not gourmet—it’s growth. If dinner turns out edible, that’s a win. If it turns out fun? That’s a memory.

Tip: Start small. Spreading peanut butter on celery? Crushing crackers for meatloaf topping? Stirring anything that doesn’t stain? Chef’s kiss.

Step 2: Give Them Power, Not Pressure

Kids LOVE feeling in control (just ask my son—he’s the CEO of bedtime negotiations). Let them pick the recipe from a small list you pre-approve. Trust me, it avoids the “Let’s make unicorn-shaped lasagna” moment.

Use phrases like:

• “You’re the head chef, I’m your helper.”

• “Can you teach me how to stir like that?”

Boom. Confidence unlocked.

Step 3: Embrace the Chicken-y Chaos

As a chicken mama, I’ve learned to accept a certain level of feathered frenzy in life. Cooking with kids is the same. Someone will get flour in their eyebrows. Someone will lick the spoon mid-recipe (and probably try to share it with the dog).

Laugh through it. These are the memories that stick—mess and all.

Step 4: Clean as You Go (Sorta)

Teach them that the kitchen doesn’t magically reset itself (unless you’re hiding a fairy under the sink—if so, let’s talk). Make tidying part of the fun:

• Play a two-minute clean-up song

• Race to see who can wipe the counter fastest

• Pretend the sponge is a superhero saving the kitchen from “Crumbzilla”

Step 5: Celebrate the Little Wins

First pancake shaped like an amoeba? Applaud it like it’s a Michelin masterpiece. Dropped the egg near the bowl? Hey, they’re getting closer!

Cooking is more than food. It’s love, laughter, learning, and a little bit of “What even happened here?” all rolled into one.

In Summary (a.k.a. Mama Needs Coffee):

Teaching kids to cook doesn’t have to break your brain. It can actually build your bond—and give you some great stories to laugh about later (possibly over the burnt banana bread you accidentally baked at 475° instead of 375° … hypothetically, of course).

So roll up your sleeves, hand over the whisk, and get ready for a kitchen full of joy (and probably some sticky fingerprints). You’ve got this, chef!

With flour on my face and love in my heart,
– Samantha @ ChickensCookiesClosings

P.S. Want a free printable “First Recipes for Little Cooks” guide to get started? Comment below or flap your wings—just kidding, drop me a message and I’ll send it your way!

🧺 Real Estate, Real Laundry: The Truth Behind the Business Mom Life

by Samantha | Chickens, Cookies & Closings

Let’s be real for a minute. Everyone loves a crisp, clean closing table pic—you, the happy clients, the “SOLD” sign, and the perfect lighting. What they don’t see is that 10 minutes before that photo, I was elbow-deep in a laundry pile taller than a toddler on stilts. Because while I may be negotiating offers by day, I’m also negotiating laundry loads by night (spoiler alert: the laundry wins. Every. Time.)

🚪Behind Every Door I Open, There’s a Sock on the Floor

Real estate is all about curb appeal, but at home? Let’s just say the only thing getting “staged” is my son pretending to be a velociraptor in a laundry basket. And don’t even get me started on the time I showed a million-dollar home with a fruit snack stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I’m out here slaying deals and slaying the mystery of where all the matching socks go. (Plot twist: the dryer is eating them.)

🐓From Chickens to Closings

If you’ve been here a minute, you know I’m not your average agent. I run on Jesus, caffeine, and chicken math. I might be discussing appraisal contingencies on the phone while collecting eggs with one hand and holding a cookie sheet in the other. Who says you can’t serve homemade banana bread while talking about escrow?

Multitasking isn’t just a skill—it’s a lifestyle. I’m equal parts negotiator, snack queen, and chief laundry folder (when I actually fold it, that is…let’s be honest, it usually just gets recycled from the basket).

💼 Business Up Front, Pajamas in the Back

You think a mullet is business in the front, party in the back? Try mom life: Zoom calls up top, fuzzy socks and a Lego underfoot down below. One minute I’m writing a property description that would make Hemingway proud, the next I’m stepping on a rogue dinosaur and crying in the laundry room because someone spilled juice on the closing docs (again).

But here’s the truth: I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollar listing.

💛 It’s Not Always Pretty, But It’s Always Worth It

Balancing business and mom life isn’t about perfection—it’s about realness. Sometimes that means dropping off cookies at a client’s house with chicken feathers in my hair. Other times, it’s letting my son “help” sort laundry while I draft an offer on the kitchen island (with a chicken watching from the window like my personal poultry-powered assistant).

At the end of the day, the homes get sold, the cookies get baked, and the laundry usually gets done. But the best part? My son sees his mama working hard, loving big, and building something beautiful.

So here’s to all the mamas in business who are juggling spreadsheets and spaghetti, listings and Legos, laundry and love. You’re doing better than you think. And if you ever need a pep talk, a chocolate chip cookie, or help staging a home with a toddler and a rooster, you know who to call.

With love, listings, and a few too many unmatched socks,
Samantha 💛
Chickens, Cookies & Closings

Hey there, friends! It’s your favorite apron-wearing, chicken-chasing, cookie-baking, house-hunting gal, Samantha from Chickens, Cookies & Closings—and I’ve got some hot news fresh out of the real estate oven! Just like my sourdough starter and Betty the Ameraucana, the market is waking up and ready to move. 🐓🍪🏡

Let’s crack into what’s happening—and how YOU can take advantage of the sunshine and sales.

📈 Real Talk: The Market’s Got Its Mojo Back

After a few sleepy seasons, 2025 is finally serving up some sizzle. National home sales are projected to increase by 3.3% this year, hitting 4.2 million homes sold, according to Zillow. That’s a clear sign buyers and sellers are back in the game, and the field is looking a whole lot more balanced.

Bonus: Home price growth is cooling just enough to be less intimidating—hovering at 3.3% growth year-over-year, which is right around inflation. Translation? This is not 2021 madness. It’s calmer, more strategic, and way more doable for regular folks.

🏡 Inventory Is Finally on the Rise

For all of you buyers who’ve been haunting Zillow like it’s Netflix for houses, I’ve got some sweet news: Inventory is ticking up!

NPR recently noted that more homes are hitting the market this spring than we’ve seen in recent years. More listings mean more options—especially if you’ve been dreaming of that backyard garden or extra room for homeschool (or, you know, a Silkie coop extension… just saying).

💸 Mortgage Rates: Holding Steady (for Now)

Okay, deep breath—yes, mortgage rates are still a thing. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Experts predict we’ll end the year around 6.4%, which is higher than we’d love but still manageable—especially with a savvy realtor by your side who knows how to negotiate like a mama hen protecting her chicks.

Higher rates also mean sellers are finally starting to list before the next fluctuation, giving buyers more choices and slightly more wiggle room on prices. (Yes, you can still find gems!)

🌴 California Dreamin’: Golden State Trends

For my fellow Californians: It’s looking bright and breezy here, too. The California Association of Realtors expects home sales and median prices to rise, possibly hitting a jaw-dropping $909,400 median this year. Yowza. But don’t panic—there are still pockets of affordability if you know where to look (hint: I do).

🌟 What It Means for You (And Why Summer Is the Sweet Spot)

This summer is shaping up to be the real estate equivalent of a county fair: full of options, great deals, and just the right kind of chaos. Whether you’re thinking of:

• Upsizing for more space (or kids… or chickens)

• Downsizing to simplify

• Finally dipping a toe into the market as a first-time buyer…

Now is the time to make your move. More homes, less competition, and rates that haven’t gone totally haywire yet.

💬 Let’s Make Your Move Together

As your local real estate agent, home-baked treat enthusiast, and your new bestie in the biz, I’m here to help you navigate it all—without the fluff (unless we’re talking marshmallow).

Let’s talk strategy, timing, and what works best for your family, your budget, and your dreams. Schedule a chat with me today and let’s hatch a plan.

The summer market is warming up, and so is your opportunity—let’s make it happen, friend.

With sunshine & sprinkles,
Samantha
Chickens, Cookies & Closings 🐓🍪🏡

909-301-1107
samsellsdreams@gmail.com