Blended Family & The Thief

On Monday, we introduced a new chicken family to our chicken family.  The new family really has been their own little family for the past year or so.  The newcomers were living with two roosters (bless their hearts), but we passed on the roosters and just adopted the females of the group.

Whenever we introduce chickens (even if the newcomers are young ones we've raised and are moving from chicken tractor to hen house), we always kind of force the issue.  You know, like on your first day of camp or college when they force you to play stupid get-to-know-each-other games?  That's what all the chickens have to do around here when they first meet.  Because, if you don't force them, they'll just form their own little cliques and might not ever really get to know each other for who there really are.  And that would just be unfortunate.

So, we shut them all up together in the hen house for about a week of get-to-know-each-other time.  This period of time also helps the new chickens learn where to lay their eggs, where to roost and where their food and water are.  Once they're well established in their new home, we open the door and let them all (hopefully) happily free range together as one big family.

Before we introduced the families, I snapped a couple pictures of them.  First off is our "old" chicken family, headed by ever-so-meek-and-mild Merv, the rooster- 11 Silver-Laced Wyandottes, 7 Golden-Laced Wyandottes, and 2 Ameraucanas for a total of 21.  They were patiently waiting in the roost.

Here is the new family- 4 Buff Orpingtons, 6 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Ameraucanas and one meat bird that evidently was pardoned on execution day.  Lucky girl.  They are a family of 13, for a grand total of 34 chickens.  I hope Merv can manage everyone okay.  That's a lot of estrogen for one rooster. 

If you have a keen eye, you'll notice that those are white egg shells up there in the trough.  Our hens lay brown and blue-green eggs.  Well.  After being gone for a five-day weekend, there were NO (as in ZERO) eggs to collect.  I had to BUY three dozen eggs at the STORE (I had zuchinni bread to make).  It smarted.  Yes, indeed.  I haven't had to buy eggs in years.

The next night (when the two families were combined), Jamey set a have a Havahart trap with an egg inside and this is what we caught.

God got really creative with this one.  I wonder what He was thinking when He created the opossum.  Did He know that I'd almost drop my laundry basket when I rounded the corner and saw this fella in the trap Jamey so kindly set outside before heading off to work?  I bet He did.  Probably had a good laugh, too.  I hope so.

But, unfortunately for this fella, we didn't hav-a-hart in the end.  You see, we want eggs, too. Pin It

A New Twist

Sometimes you think you have things totally figured out and then, wham!  What you thought was all well and good and maybe even close to perfect is improved upon and it leaves you stunned.

I'm talking about zucchini bread, of course.  What were you thinking about?  Something deeper maybe?  Sorry to disappoint.   Today, it's about zucchini bread, my dears.

I was very happy with my zucchini recipe.  It had been given to me by a college roommate, Anna, and it was perfect in my eyes.  Sure, over the years I tweaked it a little bit using applesauce or pureed cooked butternut squash in place of some of the oil, sometimes using part whole wheat flour, sometimes cutting back a bit on the sugar, but all in all the heart of the recipe remained the same.

Then, my mother rocked my zucchini bread world by starting to add blueberries to the equation.  Have you ever had blueberries in zucchini bread?  Well, you should.  Yes, indeed.  This bread was incredibly moist and delicious and I knew that once I had zucchini again, I'd be asking for the recipe.  Well, here's the kicker.  I called her, jotted it down and then compared it to my own.  It's the same recipe (as my roommate's) minus the blueberries!  Here I had this recipe all along.  Could the addition of the blueberries really make this much difference?!

Well, I set to finding out with my trusty kitchen helper, cowgirl Sadie, and it all proved to be true.  It seems as if blueberries were destined for this recipe.  So, go on and find yourself some blueberries to pick or dig down deep in your freezer and see if you can scrounge up a pint or two.  Then, go here and fold in two cups of blueberries at the end of the recipe, leaving everything else the same.

I made 12 loaves (for the freezer) because there were five whoppers of zucchinis with my name on them.  I told you this bread is good. Pin It

Summer Life

I'm still here but I must admit, I've been a little distracted by summer lately.  It's the calm before the storm (that is preserving), so let's just have a moment of silence to enjoy... summer.

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{Garden} Volunteers

Weeding is monotonous and often frustrating work.  Hot, bent over and sticky I have been known to insist to myself that I pulled that exact same weed from the exact same spot- even when I am very careful to pull weed and root.  Other than the joy of seeing a portion of the garden (or on rare occasion, an entire garden) weeded, it brightens my day when I come across a volunteer- a vegetable or flower (not a weed) that has come up on it's own.  I don't mind at all that it may not be in it's rightful place.

I'm just thrilled that it's not a weed.

 Stevia among strawberries.

 Garlic among green beans.

 Lettuce among carrots.

 Tomato along the path.

 Strawberries among onions.

Strawberries among tomatoes.

Now, if I could just get all the weeds to crop up somewhere else....  Oh, well.  A girl can dream, can't she?

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The Theology of Checking Out

Today's topic is not so light as fussing over shoes laying all over the place.  I'm just trying to figure out how to trek through this life holding fast to what I believe to be true.  So, please be patient with me and forgive me if I step on your toes.  Just a warning- if I do step on your toes, I may ask you if you've put your shoes away properly.

Given a choice, I will almost always stay at home.  There are a few exceptions.  I will go out somewhere if it's just Jamey and I.  I will go out to spend time with a girlfriend.  I will load up the kids and go hang out at a friend's house to visit/play.  I will go to church and church-related meetings.  I will get groceries (but I prefer to do it alone).  I will take my kids to play at a friend's house.  I will take my children to the doctor and/or dentist.

That's about it.

I wasn't always this way.  When Jamey and I were first married, I wanted to go out, out, out.  Granted, it was just he and I, but it was different because I wanted to go out to eat.  I wanted to go to the movies.  I wanted to go shopping for no reason.  I wanted to go to a concert.  I wanted to do something.  I wanted diversion.

Over time, I've lost this need.  I'm almost never bored at home like I used to be.  There are kids to look after, meals to plan and prepare, a house and yard to take care of, books to read, produce to freeze and can, kids to teach, blog posts to write, bills to pay- the list goes on and on.

But, it's become more than just not being bored.  I've started checking out society a bit.  It no longer appeals to me to shop, spend money on movies, listen to music that doesn't support my world view, or eat a ridiculous portion of rich food that puts fat on my thighs and leaves me running to the bathroom immediately afterward anyway (I've been blessed with a mild form of IBS).

It's the world that says we need things we don't, have to go places we don't, and have to experience things we don't.  If I am going to try to be in the world but not of it, I need to draw the line somewhere.  I need to be content and the world does not foster contentment.

I'm not advocating becoming a hermit.  We need each other.  And how else are we going to impact this world for Christ?  I just wonder what the motives are for the things we do.

Are we trying to fill a void that only Christ can fill through time spent with him?  (This is always a challenge for me.)

Are we trying to buy up things and experiences that we think will make us happy?

Are we buying up things and experiences because that's what everyone else is doing?

Are we showing our kids how to live in the world and be of the world?  Or, are we showing them that just because everyone else does it, doesn't mean it's a good choice?  Are there really neutral choices anyway?

So, what can we (corporately) do instead?  We can save that money we did not spend and give it to missions or to poor and starving people in other countries or next door or across town.  We can use our time to make meals for those in need or who are going through rough patches or welcoming newborns.  We can sew bags for health kits and school kits, make comforters for disaster victims, send funds to purchase the items needed, volunteer, visit shut-ins and the elderly, or invite neighbors for dinner.  We can teach our kids from the Bible and let them help discern which activities would be worthwhile or not for our families.

We can be like Christ to others.  Is that what we're doing when we're shopping aimlessly, being influenced by movies and music that promote the world's agenda, buying overpriced and unhealthy meals and participating in all manner of activities because that's what everyone else is doing?

I certainly don't have it figured out, but I cannot help but react to what many of us are letting ourselves get sucked into as Christians. We should not be passive.  We are smarter than this and we know better.

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." 

Romans 12:2, New Living Translation

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The Shoe Battle

Shoes.  They are my nemesis.

I come up with a plan.  A method of containment. 




I preach.  I beg.  I threaten.

And yet nothing and I repeat nothing can hold them in their place.

Instead...haste, laziness, forgetfulness and a two-year old who is infatuated with them (and prefers to wear a different one on each foot) keep them from their snug little homes.  They are instead littered throughout (and outside) the house.

One day.  One day, only Jamey and my shoes will be sitting (hopefully) in their assigned places by the door and I will miss tripping over and grumbling about the little shoes strewn everywhere.

No, I won't.

Oh, fine.  Yes, I will.

(Please understand.  I am ever so thankful to have more than enough- mostly hand-me-down- shoes to put on the feet of my family, no matter where they may end up.)

Anyone willing to share their shoe battle plans? Pin It

Old Homestead Charm

I can quickly become bothered by the rusty roofs, loose boards, broken windows and missing doors of our old outbuildings.  But then.  Every once in awhile when I'm outside with my camera, I see the beauty and charm of it all and I'm once again at peace. 

So today, I challenge you to look at your surroundings differently.  Look for the beauty and charm in the places it's often overlooked and feel the discontentment fade.

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Worth It or Not? (IV)

Need some more dinner ideas that have been tried, posted about, tried and posted about again?  Well, that's what I'm here for (well...when the Spirit and recipes move me, that is).

Today we'll start with Pioneer Woman's Taco Pizza.  I must begin by saying that I didn't follow this recipe exactly.  I didn't have any fresh tomatoes.  Hello?  I don't see them until August.  I also didn't bother to slice up tortillas, fry them and sprinkle them on top.  Garnishes just aren't that important to me, although I'm sure they would give this pizza a nice crunch.  It goes like this...top your pizza dough with black beans mashed with taco seasoning, then shredded cheese and bake it.  Next, top with shredded lettuce and drizzle with a sour cream and hot sauce mixture.

Next time, I will increase the hot sauce amount- I could hardly taste it.  I also drizzled some of my thawed cilantro sauce on top instead of using fresh.  Jamey loved it and I was oddly more impressed with it two days later.  I was incredibly surprised that the leftovers kept well (with the lettuce on top and all).  Somehow the flavors blended better two days later.  Good thing- I now really like it:-).

PW's Taco Pizza:  Worth It if you need a new twist for the grown-ups on pizza night, which we did.

Next, I want to tell you about Simply In Season's Chicken Stir-Fry.  This really isn't a fair review because I'm reviewing my own review.  But, it's just delicious.  I made it again recently and thought you needed to be reminded of it.  It has one of the yummiest stir-fry sauces I've ever tasted.

Simply In Season's Chicken (or Tofu) Stir-Fry: Worth It One Hundred Times Over


Back a few months ago, I started reading Canadian Doomer.  She talks a lot about food preservation and preparedness and she's beginning to convince me that I may need to get over myself and buy a pressure canner.  Anyway, the other week she posted a recipe for Stuffed French Toast.  It called for no sugar (only honey) so I had to give it a try.  It was the perfect way for me to use up the bread crusts and eggs I had on hand.  Boy, was it yummy.  A drizzle of real maple syrup on top would have put it over the top- not because it wasn't sweet enough, but because I just really like real maple syrup:-).

CD's Stuffed French Toast:  Worth It, especially if you have some real maple syrup to drizzle on top.

Next up, is another PW dish, her Sour Cream Noodle Bake.  I tried this recipe because it looked simple and like something my whole family would like.  Both suspicions were correct.  The family liked it and it was easy to put together.  I wouldn't call it fabulous, but if you need another crowd-pleaser in your repertoire, this could be it.

 

PW's Sour Cream Noodle Bake:  Worth It if you need a crowd-pleaser that's easy and you're not up to being blown away by dinner.

Okay, this next one is a real winner.  I needed a baked ziti recipe to take to a church function, so I went searching.  There were going to be other baked ziti dishes there (this was the main course), so I thought finding a recipe that was a little different might give us some variety.  I was really pleased with this.  It incorporated spinach, pesto and sausage (I used ground sausage).  You make your own sauce with the sausage, canned tomatoes (I used stewed), pesto, etc.  You combine this with the cooked ziti/spinach/cheese mixture.  Now this is a crowd-pleaser that is fabulous.  Thank you Bon Appetit via Epicurious- Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes.

Epicurious' Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes (and Sausage and Pesto):  Worth It, Worth It, Worth It!

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