waiting for new babies

Sorry, not people babies.

Chicken babies. :) [edit They are HERE!]

Hubby working hard on our new brooder

Hubby worked hard all weekend on our new brooder. I had my worries, as the heat lamps weren't seeming to get it warm enough, but he worked on a bit more this morning, never-giving-up guy he is. I checked this afternoon and it will hold steady at 95 degrees now, just what we need for those new chickies to stay warm. :) ...all 125 of them. I should have never doubted him. Actually 25 will go in the basement brooder, since they are layers and won't mix well with the fryers.

So, now we wait, for a box of little peepers from NM and a bigger box of peepers from IA...

Counting my Blessings #39-44

the anticipation of little fuzzy bodies

naptime

hardworking hubby

postmaster's who allow me to call and pester about my expectant mail

sunshine and sprinkles of rain

chokecherry blossoms

Related Posts:

Winter Farmer's Market
The 2011 Chickens
Easy Overnight Yogurt
Using Dry Beans - buy local!

Dreaming of [in] April

This song is generally stuck in my mind for most of March and all of April. :)

Where is the face I long to see
Pictures of her in my mind
They say that she will soon return
I know she'll be here any day now
Just breezing into the room
Her sweet perfume can send my senses
Dreaming of April
Praying for her to arrive in all her finery
I'm dreaming of April
Maybe she'll linger this time
Turning to smile at me
These clouds of grey march in endless procession
I'm waking every day
Dreaming of April
I never know how blue the sky
Until the dark days came
These wistful words keep whispering
How much I used to take for granted
The beauty of her eyes
Till mine grew dim with winter, now I'm
Dreaming of April
Praying for her to arrive in all her finery
I'm dreaming of April
Maybe she'll linger this time
Turning to smile at me
When these days of grey march in endless procession
I'm waiting for a change
And dreaming of April
-by Out of the Grey

I can't find the music to this song online, but here's a sampling of some of their other music, LOVE this band! ...my girls are now dancing around my bedroom in their jammies as I listen... aaaahhhh.... Saturdays!

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sunrise

April is a month that should really be about twice as long to suit any gardener. In my favorite gardening book Jane Pepper's Garden, she says "If I had my way, April would have 60 days, instead of 30, each marked by a new blossom, a new blade of grass, or a different tree coming into bloom."  My children wish it was shorter, since it is our last month of "classical" school. (We transition to an outdoor classroom of planting, growing, learning by doing...)

Of all the wonderful things to be done in the garden, barn, and coop... I would really love to do nothing more than spend the entire month doing nothing other than taking pictures of lovely rain-clouds:

out first thunderstorm this spring,
only rained for 10 minutes

last night, heavy clouds... but no rain.
(But then, that's another song... lol)

Counting my Blessings #33-38
sleeping in
dancing children
rain in the forecast
sprouting spinach
bacon cooking
grace


Related posts:
Sunflowers
Sunset Beauty
Dust Storm Photo Progression

Gleanings in Colossians

As you may know, I'm working at reading through the Bible in a Year, primarily through using the audio Bible on my smart-phone. It's been wonderful for the kids and I to sit down to breakfast and listen to God's Word as we start the day. Tyler is doing a reading program too (E-100) and Emma and Mayda just started a Psalms/Proverbs reading program as well.

In my reading today (Day #136) I was listening to Colossians 3 and 4, and they really struck me. So I looked them up in different versions and enjoyed just thinking on them with renewed interest. I hope you enjoy...

Colossians 3:12-17  and 4:6 (paraphrased by the Message)

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

4:6 Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

Thanks for joining my in my daily reading!

Now, for one more random adorable kid pic:

Mayda and the missing chicken that was found

Related Posts:
Trials? Count it all Joy...
Pondering Big Things - Feb 17, 2007
Pondering Burdens - Nov. 6, 2009
Romans 7 Moment - Oct. 11, 2008

Counting my Blessings #25-32

Emma's creativity
reasonable conversation
grass-fed beef
brooder almost ready
a good deal on chicken feed
cool spring mornings
God's Word, familiar, yet renewed
friendly neighbors

Early April Planting 2012

Heirloom seeds from a neighbor,
 a farmer's market friend

This week we got a lot done here on the farm. In preparation for the chicks arriving next week, we cleaned out the barn, and got the brooder built. We had to rebuild it a little bigger since we are getting 125 chicks instead of the normal 25. Pray this goes well!

In the garden the radishes are sprouting. I inter-planted them in the lettuce beds, and they should be out before the lettuce even needs thinning. At 28 days, radishes are as close as you get to fast food in the garden. ;)

In the "spring bed" by the house, my horseradish, rhubarb, garlic and welsh onions are coming up nicely. I put up a raised bed there and planted cabbage, broccoli, dill, and a few more radishes. Once the plants are up and established, I plan to curl a soaker hose through there and switch to only drip irrigation, to see if I can keep those cabbages from cracking again. I also plan to hang netting over the broccoli, dill, and cabbage bed, as it was hardest hit by grasshoppers last year, and I don't want to spray it.

We still have LOTS of corn husks to rake up around here, but with every new wind-storm, those pile up all over again, like drifting snow. This afternoon we FINALLY had a lovely spring rain...

...and I hear that snow is in the forecast for the weekend. I couldn't be more thrilled!!!! Perfect slow-release moisture for the garden. Germination, here me come!



Related Posts:
2012 Garden, Part one: Cold Frames, lettuce, and potatoes
Winter Farmer's Market
The 2011 Chickens
2011 Spring Garden: Lettuce, Spinach, Onions, and Peas

Today I'm thankful for #18-24

soft dirt

RAIN

school time

sunshine after rain and that wonderful smell of the earth drinking

leftovers making lunch easy

snuggling with Wyatt at nap time

Mayda's soft heart, tearfully worrying about her kitty out in the rain

Home-made Chicken Broth

One of my favorite things to make is chicken broth. I think it is because it is so cheap and easy, and it has so many uses. You can add it in place of water in some recipes to add a richness. Or it can make instantly yummy soup. I use it in my white chicken chili, as the liquid in many chowders, or even to enrich my mashed potatoes when I'm doing them milk-free for my cousin's little boy (who was at our house for Easter dinner). It is also gluten-free, which is important to my nieces and nephews, as many store bought broths are not.

When you consider it from a frugal perspective, it's a huge win. If you order chicken broth in bulk from amazon it ranges from $2.67 (Swanson) to $3.75 (organic) per quart. I figure it costs me about $2 to $3 to make up a 5 quart batch, and less when I do big batches in my canning pot (3 gallons!). So that is about 40 to 60 cents per quart, a possible savings of $3.35 per quart or a total savings of $16.75 per 5qt. batch! Since the chicken bones are leftovers from cooking, they don't count, so my only cost is the celery, onions, and carrots I add.

So lets get going:

• 1 chicken carcass, skins, bones and all. After you've had yummy roasted chicken for supper, or maybe raw after you've de-boned a whole chicken. either way. 
• 1 bunch of celery ($1) all chopped up. Minus the bottom, which you could plant, or make art with...) You especially want to toss in the leaves, those add LOTS of flavor.
• 1 pound of carrots, I use the baby carrots after they get old (a little dry looking) and the kids don't find them appealing.
• 1 or 2 whole onions. The skins are FULL of good stuff, so don't peel, just chop coarsely and drop 'em in. 
• Enough water to cover it all in a 6-qt pot or slow-cooker.

Let it all cook on low ALL night.

In the morning, strain off the meat and veggies. I feed them to the chickens, but a friend told me you can snap the bones and do another batch!

Then bag for the freezer. This will fill one and a half gallon bags. I have found that the bags often get scratched or punctured in the freezer, and then leak upon thawing. So I started putting the bags in coffee cans, and filling and freezing that way. They stack great, and thawing is a breeze, since you can just set the can on the counter! If you want one cup portions, put one cup in a sandwich bag, and fill a gallon bag with the smaller bags, then freeze flat. :)

Enjoy!

Proverbs 3:7-9
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;Fear the Lord and depart from evil.8 It will be health to your flesh,And strength to your bones.9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

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Today I'm thankful for (12-17):

• baking with my son
• coffee in the morning
• audio Bible apps
• moms sharing creative ideas
• finding a lost chicken
• rain in the forecast

Related posts

Donuts
Easy Overnight Yogurt

Using Dry Beans
Cuban Bread

Linked:

It was a blessed Resurrection Sunday

I am so thankful for the wonderful gift of Salvation... bought by blood, for me. And for the new life that I live, and for the opportunity to celebrate life, resurrection, new beginnings: in remembering Christ rising from the tomb. Such a fitting thing for springtime...

We made our resurrection cookies again. I found on the recipe notes that we have been baking these since 2006. So this was our 7th year. I find this amazing because I often find the word tradition so laughable. In my quest for memorable moments, I begin "new traditions" every year (especially Christmas ones), but they never seem to stick. This one does. I think because of the real reminder of his suffering, and the real joy we share... amid a morning rush of hair fixing and finding lost shoes before the early Easter service... as we run to the oven to see that the "tomb" is still sealed, but the cookies inside are hollow, and all the children cheer "He is risen!"

Emma had just memorized (at AWANA) and recited:

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Mayda exclaimed: "Look inside the empty cookie! I can see the place where the Lord lay!"

I <3 these moments!

From there it was a busy day: after church a scramble to make lunch before our house was filled with friends and family. It was all so wonderful that I didn't want it to end. That's how celebration days should be! And I am thankful.

Today I was very blessed by Ann's Voskamp's post about the day after Easter. Resurrections are happening every day. I have been contemplating joining her in the counting of blessings for some time. I always held off because to call a blessing #1 would feel so much like I never appreciated all the un-numbered blessings before... but I realize that I must say it is #1 of the thousands to be counted, heaped upon the thousands that have been enjoyed (but not numbered) before. 

"Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable." Gen 41:49

So here I go:
1. My precious Savior's blood was shed for me.... for me!
2. He conquered sin and death.
3. I am safe in His arms
4. My husband and children all know my Redeemer as well.
5. Children who memorize scripture.
6. My home and family
7. Friends and family joining us for dinner
8. Springtime!
9. Radishes sprouting in the garden
10. Cheesecake
11. hollow cookies and an empty tomb

... oh so much more...






Other posts:
Daddy Dates
Romans 7 Moment - Oct. 11, 2008
Resurrection Story, shared through a cookie
8 years of being a Birth Doula

Celebrating 8 wonderful years as a Doula

I can hardly believe it's been 8 years since I had my first Doula baby. Not my own baby, but the first birth I attended as a birth doula.

 "What is a birth doula?

A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.
Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth:

• tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
• reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
• reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction
• reduces the requests for pain medication and epidurals, as well as the incidence of cesareans

When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention, and less postpartum depression." -From Dona.org

Growing up among the Lancaster County Amish, and attending births with my mom, a midwife, I had a pretty positive view of birth, and I knew the advantages of natural, and well supported birth very well. But that was NOT my cup of tea. So I ran off to college and studied business and accounting. I even worked in that line of work for 2 years, until my son was born.

Then my whole world changed.

It was SO completely difficult to find a good midwife in Nebraska! I moved from a locale in PA where 20% of babies are born out-of-hospital, to an area where those stats are nearly unavailable, but definitely less than 1%. Our local hospital had a midwife, but she was banned from attending home births.

Aside from health-care, birth went from a familiar process to a real and challenging personal ordeal. As I went on to have my daughter at home as well, I knew that birth was an experience that can be either harrowing or life-changing awesome, depending on the support one has, and I knew I wanted to offer that opportunity to more moms. I still knew I was not called to become a midwife.

Shortly after I began studying to become a doula, my dear friend "hired" me to attend her birth as such. The opportunity made it possible for my to go to Philadelphia, PA, and attend a Doula training program.  So I count the birth of Katharine, who will turn 8 tomorrow, as the beginning of my career.

Since that time I have attended births in homes, birth centers, and hospitals. I've been there for extremely emotional experiences, peaceful natural births, and have even supported a mom and baby through a necessary c-section. I know now that being a doula is more than offering moms the opportunity of a natural birth experience, but is all about supporting a mom to feel safe and informed as she navigates this extraordinary moment when her life changes forever. Helping a mom to understand God's incredible love for us by this incredible love He gives us for our own children.

Since then my passion for birth education and good health-care options for moms, has led me to be involved with Nebraska Friends of Midwives. I've served as board member of our original founding board, treasurer, and now as a regional representative. All four of our children were born at home with a midwife.

Right now I am focusing on being home with my family, and only take on a few births a year. But some day in the future, when being on call is not such a disruption, I hope to complete certification with Cascade Christian Childbirth Association, and offer support to more women in my area.

It is a wonderful thing to pray with, and for, a mom as she labors, and to provide all the information she needs to make good healthy decisions with her family and health care provider. I am so thankful I can participate in such a wonderful thing as birth. I know that God created us for this!

Psalm 127:3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

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Related Posts:

Trials? Count it all Joy...
Pondering Big Things - Feb 17, 2007
Pondering Burdens - Nov. 6, 2009
Daddy Dates