A Very Full Weekend

Friday was full of thankfulness.

Thankful that my dear friend Amy, after spending a night in the hospital because of a concern about possible infection, was infection free! Thank you Lord!!

Thankful that, shortly after being released from the hospital, Amy had the energy to make it to, and with her family be part of the survivor's walk in the opening ceremonies of the Relay for Life both of our daughters participated in at their high school.

Thankful too for all of the high school students who participated in this event!

Together they raised $130,000 for the American Cancer Society! Way to go!!

And very thankful that it did not rain!!

Saturday was full of love and encouragement!

With a bit of spur of the moment planning, a group of loved ones gathered to show their love to Amy and her family.

Amy's amazing sister Christy took this group photo as well as many others to document the day.

I brought my camera with the intent of taking lots of photos.

I only took a few. 

Sadly one was of my food.

In my defense the food was delicious! 

The outpouring of love took my breath away! My camera was forgotten and left to hang from my shoulder as I took it all in. Thank goodness Christy kept her wits about her!

Love and encouragement and hugs are good for the soul!

Sunday was full of celebration.

Our sweet Miss Emma Bean turned 12!! Whoop Whoop!!

Happy Birthday Miss Emma Bean!!

Oh how I love that girl! She is a joy! She is tender hearted, and strong willed, and oh how she makes me laugh!

For her birthday, Miss Emma Bean asked to go bowling. Some of us bowled better than others, eh hem, but we all had fun, and we laughed, and we all wore stinky bowling shoes.

 And per her request, we ate Whoopie Pies!

A very full weekend indeed!

Christine

Making Progress

While there are times I wish life would just stand still for a little bit, it doesn't. Maybe that's a good thing.

Chickens, like children, continue to grow at an alarming rate! They will need to move out of their brooding box and into their new home soon!

We've been busily working the last few weeks to make that happen.

We had a ground breaking for the coop.

Then it snowed.

We laid the foundation for the coop.

Just look at that mess of stuff we piled in the garden.

And it snowed.

We've been painting the coop.

And then you guessed it...more snow. UGH!

The chickens, unfazed by the snow, just continued growing. I however was getting fed up with snow!

And I should probably clarify, when I say "we" have been working on the coop, I mostly mean the Husband has been working on the coop. 

He has had some good helpers though. The girls and their friends have been very willing to pitch in and help, and we've had a couple of adults lend a hand too. We're very grateful for helping hands!

We're making some very good progress. And by we, I mean, you know, the Husband is making good progress on the coop. 

It won't be long now and the girls can move into their new home.

The girls have already had their first outdoor adventure. While it took them a little while to get comfortable with being outside, they had a few confused, what are we supposed to do now minutes, having room to run around as well as getting to roll and scratch in the dirt made them very happy!

And while we, I mean the Husband, has been working on the coop, I have been busily cleaning out the mess we piled in the garden, putting down a layer of newspaper, and piling on mulch to get the vegetable garden ready to be planted. 

I can't wait to see the benefits of using mulch in the vegetable garden this year!

Christine

Suffering

Suffering is very difficult to understand.

I've heard more than one person ask how a loving God could allow suffering. 

I definitely do not have all the answers, but here are a few things I'm learning about suffering as I walk with some very dear friends through some very difficult times. Times that can only be referred to as suffering.

Amy is one of those dear friends. It was over 4 years ago that she was diagnosed with Primary Schlerosing Cholangitis, 3 years ago that she had surgery to have her colon removed, and 1 year ago that she was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer) and began chemotherapy. To say it has been a long, hard road for her and her loved ones would be an understatement. It's a road that has only gotten more difficult. It definitely qualifies as a road of suffering.

The first thing I've learned is that people seem to respond one of two ways to suffering. They either become angry and bitter with hearts hardened toward others, or their hearts become soft and their compassion for others becomes great. Those who have soft hearts, full of compassion, are quick to lean into the suffering of others and support them any way possible. It's an amazing thing to witness! Amy and her family have grown beautifully soft hearts!

Second, people often find it comforting to talk to others who have suffered through circumstances similar to their own. It can be very helpful to have one, who has walked the path before you, guide your way. It's also very helpful to have someone say, "I too felt and thought the things you are thinking and feeling now. It's normal." Amazing how soothing that can be.

The third thing I'm learning is how qualified Jesus is to understand, empathize, and have the deepest compassion for us in the midst of our suffering. He too experienced rejection, hearts of bitterness towards Him, the loss of loved ones, the illnesses of loved ones, being beaten and abused, being nailed to a cross, and death. A death that He suffered by choice, to forgive the sins of everyone who would repent and seek the salvation He alone can offer! 

Jesus walked through suffering to make His compassion for us complete. So by His suffering He would know exactly how we feel in ours. So we could turn to Him in the midst of our darkest journeys, knowing that He had already walked the same path of suffering, and trust Him to guide us through ours. So that He could offer the comfort of one who fully understands. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Jesus suffered on our behalf, He allowed His heart to be soft so His compassion for us would be great! That is what a loving God does! 

He also suffered so that, as my dear friend Amy wisely reminds me, "This is the closest we ever have to get to hell."

Christine

The Sweetest Days

Sometimes life can be very hard. We struggle through things that we cannot quickly or easily fix, or that maybe we cannot fix at all. 

Sometimes these seasons of struggle move on quickly. Sometimes they hang on like a Minnesota winter. Oh how they can cause one to grow weary.

Sometimes these difficult seasons seem to cast a dark shadow over our days, but somehow the little things always shine through, bringing with them precious moments, leaving behind the sweetest memories.

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." - Ann Shirley from Ann of Avonlea

 Birds at the feeder on a snowy April morning.

Girls in crazy bright colors!

A hug from a friend!

The laughter of children...or teenagers!

A new recipe the whole family likes!!

Making grandma's donuts with friends who are silly!

Meeting a friend for Starbuck's coffee!

Finding that some of his shirts still smell like the husband when I sort through the laundry, and he smells good!

Snuggling with loved ones on the couch while watching a movie!

A pile of old Pottery Barn catalogs brought on a girl's weekend!!

Shedding tears with one who understands.

Growing chicks learning to perch together!

A friend with arms long enough to get every beautiful face in the photo!

So many precious, little pleasures slipping off the string. Too many to count. Taking in the joy of each and every little one. 

Christine

Meet The Girls

Picked up our chicks last Thursday, in spite of a miserable snow storm. Anybody else ready for Spring? -sigh- 

We purchased our girls from Egg Plant Urban Farm Supply.

I don't think anyone else had made it into the store yet to pick up their chicks, so I got to take my pick of the litter! Whoop whoop!

Look at all those sweet babies!

They were all so cute! It wasn't easy to decide. But decide I did and brought home some very pretty girls. If I do say so myself.

There's Miss Sofia's Buff Orpington named Pookie.

She's very calm and can't wait to use her wings. It's because of Pookie we've already covered the brooding box with a screen. She's got quite a jump that one!

If one of the chicks manages to escape the brooding box it will be Pookie.

Then there's Miss Emma Bean's Barred Rock named Luna.

Luna is a little more high strung. She's the first one to bolt when you approach the brooding box. However, she does not object to snuggling into your cupped hands and falling asleep.

Look how beautiful her wings are! She'll be completely black and white striped when she's fully grown. The odd pink dot on her head is not natural. It was placed there when she hatched to make it easier to identify the Barred Rock chicks from other black chicks. The black chicks can look a lot alike when they're little. Black chicks like the Husband's choice...

The Black Australorp. Her name is Jade. 

Jade is mostly black now but when she's fully grown her plumage will have a lovely greenish sheen.

Jade is the smallest of the bunch, but she's quick! If she grabs a piece of chick feed one of the other girls wanted she bolts and no one can catch her. Oh they try, but it's not going to happen. I think she gets a little too much satisfaction from grabbing the food one of the other girls wanted!

And last but not least, in fact she's our biggest chick, my Ameraucana named Penelope. I call her Henny Penny.

Penelope is the most willing to be held.

She's very sweet and will lay either blue or green eggs. I can't wait!

The girls spend their days drinking, eating, and sleeping.

Occasionally they fall asleep right where they stand.

I enjoy the contented soft chirping that emanates from the brooding box throughout the day.

The girls seem to have a preference for one particular corner of the brooding box. When they're not eating or drinking they tend to gather there.

They even seem to enjoy a little chicken yoga to round out their day.

And of course everyone enjoys a good chin scratching now and then. 

They're definitely keepers!

First thing Friday morning Miss Emma Bean grabbed me and said, "It's not a dream! The chickens are really here! I love them!"

Yep, keepers for sure!

Christine

Getting Ready

The Husband and I discussed, we researched, we pinned chicken coop designs incessantly on Pinterest till friends began to wonder what in the world we were up to. We're gonna raise chickens y'all! My farm girl impersonation. What do you think? Yes? No??

Anyway...

With chicks arriving this Thursday it was time to choose!

photo of Wichita "Cabin Coop" from backyard chickens.com

This is it! The coop design we've settled on. We found it on Back Yard Chickens.com. It's the perfect size for our yard as well as for the number of chickens we plan to raise. 

Time to get ready!

Tub with heat lamp, thermometer, feeder and waterer all prepared for brooding chicks indoors for several weeks. 

Did you notice? It's in the living room. The chicks will remain there for a couple of weeks till they get bigger and need a larger tub. Then they'll be moved to the basement. The Husband is a very tolerant man. Have I mentioned how much I love him? 

Time for a final determination as to the location of the coop. 

Our original plan was to place the coop at the end of the garden. There was only one problem, we thought that seemed awfully far from the house. Thinking about tromping out through the snow in the winter. Ugh! Then we thought in front of the garden. Hmmm. Only one problem, seems awfully close to the house.

Have I mentioned how much I love, love, love the Husband. 

We've decided to shift the garden back about 10 feet. We'll build the coop where the garden currently sits, giving space for the coop as well as a 5x10 foot chicken run. Then we'll push the garden back 10 feet so I'll have the same amount of planting space I had before. Easy, just move the garden. Problem solved. Eh hem. 

I really love that man! And I owe him!!

Finally, time for the construction begin!

Chickens arrive Thursday. We've got to get this coop built! Right after the 6 inches of snow we're forecasted to get tomorrow melts. BAH!!

Christine