Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2013

insta friday - a tad late again

I guess it's better late than never.

This has been my son's spring break.
The days have gone so fast.

And while we never managed to go on a road trip.
We had lots of fun at home.  Lots of things I didn't photograph.
There were lots of projects,
trampoline jumping, and plain ol' relaxing.

It felt good to not have a whole lot on the agenda.

First..finally all three of our 'feathered' girls are laying an egg a day..
and I finally had enough surplus to gift our neighbors with some. 
We're getting more and more double yoke eggs.
Which means, one of those is enough for me.

The girls keep on loving horseback riding lessons.
One of these days I'm going to write a full post
on how these lessons and the gymnastics classes
have improved my middle daughters strength and confidence.
It has been amazing to watch the progress.
I've been doing some freelance work.
This job was for a new pilot, doing interviews to promote the show.
This was going to be the first year all three of my kids were in school and
I thought the year I could return more to the work force.

When I felt him leading me to take on homeschooling, I just knew that if God 
meant for me to continue my freelance work, 
that he would provide a way.  
But I really did say goodbye to it mentally.

I let it go knowing I needed to seek after Him and his will first, 
and if it was His will these other things would fall into place.  
And things have been working out.  
It has taken some juggling and some late nights, 
But God has made a way.  And that's a praise.
These pretty colors have been the source of lots
of painting fun for my girls.
They had one afternoon to let loose at sky high.
And it was time for him and me to get our hair cut!
During his baseball practice the girls and I hit
Home Depot.  I'm on a mission with a few projects.
More on that soon.
But for now, look at these
super helpful helpers.
Who make even outings to Home Depot fun.
Seriously, wish I could just bust out dancing whenever the mood strikes.
They also happily make a large job not seem so bad.
This momma is not typically a power tool kind of girl, 
but like I said I'm on a mission.
My husband so kindly set me up, showed me what
to do and then took our son to his game.
So it was up to me...and my helpers.
I already showed you our trip to get veggies.
Well, the week rounded out with lots of digging in dirt.
My middle child was on a daddy date.
So it was mostly me and this little lady.
This is her hard at work farmer girl look.
Piper kept trying to help..ah hem..sort of.
And when his game was finished he helped too.
We're still not done, but the sun went down.
And it was time to call it a day.
I felt like I worked out.
In that good kind of way.

Be patient, therefore, brothers,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for 
the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient about it,
until it receives the early 
and the late rains.
You, also, be patient.
Establish your hearts, 
for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  
James 5:7-8 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

oh me, oh my

(In order - Lucy, Hannah & Belle)
Can you tell their personalities by this picture alone?
Lucy is the nervous Nelly.  She panics in that 'sky is falling kind of way'
when you come into the room and make a noise.
Hannah, she's the most chill.  She lets our girls play with her to their heart's content.
She's a little smaller.  And just so sweet.
And Belle, she's the largest and I think the leader.
She's dominant and strong and the girls need help catching her already.
They're seven weeks old now.
And we have them in our bathtub incubator till at least ten weeks.
They said ten to twelve.
Until then they need the heat lamp because they can't regulate their own body temperature.
My husband is ready to put them up in the coop.
Me, not yet.
It'll be weird not being able to check on them so easily.
They're losing their baby feathers and the grown up ones are coming in so beautifully.
And even if they are kind of funny looking with their little socks.
I think they're adorable.
And they've captured a place in my heart.

Meanwhile, I have lots to share with you....
about a baby shower I'm hosting.
I used this as a chance to try a few of those projects I'd been wanting to do forever.
I can't show you the full reveal till after this Friday.
But I can give you a sneak peak and let you know
I've managed to let the girls help in almost every part of the process.
They've loved it.
And this little project, well it was a total walk down memory lane from my
own childhood, making many, many of these.






Monday, August 20, 2012

these ladies



OH dear.
Where do I begin.
Look at that stance.
Those feathers on their feet.
Fancy ladies I tell you.
The way they turn their head to check me out.
The camera clicking too.
This little photo shoot was clearly exhausting at times.

They're one month old now.
And you may notice there are only three.

Did I tell you I went into this saying I thought three was a good number.
We got four though because they said they don't always all make it.
Last night one of the girls died.
Charlotte hadn't been growing as big as the others.
She kept to herself a lot.
And suddenly she grew very lethargic.
I syringe fed her through the day and night.
But she didn't make it.

Sigh.  I don't like this part at all.

We noticed early on that her beak wasn't the same.
It was hooked and misaligned.
As she grew it seemed to get worse.
A google search revealed it 
can make it hard for them to get enough food unless they learn to work around it.

It was most sad for me.
The kids have rebounded rather fine.
It's that whole mom instinct needing to make things better
and feeling like I somehow failed her.
I know, she's a chicken.
But still.

And today as we changed out their bathtub incubator 
they had some play time out in the laundry room.
Seriously.  
Adorable.
They're instinctively perching.
Which makes the girls giggle.
I'm still smitten.
And so are they.

Counting my gifts...wishing I was more consistent with this, but at least I'm slow and steady
371. these ladies
372. making my ladies giggle
373. trials opening my eyes
374. a last day at the beach
375. a new beginning
376. fun etsy finds for homeschool
377.  schedules coming together
378. magnetic paint
379. the color aqua
380. swimming in the sea
381. a baby hippo
382. a cousin baby
383. one last trip to visit family
384. an exciting opportunity
385. resting in the unknown
386. green smoothies helping my aching body
387. school supplies
388. checking off the lists
389. trying to not let the lists overwhelm
390. a fifth grader
391. sleeping in 


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

simply lovely


It was time again to change out all the shavings and clean their feet.
The feet are a daily, sometimes multiple times a day thing.
The shavings twice a week.
I won't go into why, you can imagine I'm sure.
Let's just say these cuties are pretty messy.
Messy, but worth it.

And changing everything out means they come out of the 
red heat lamp (that isn't so great for pictures),
into the light that I love in our laundry room of all places.

And yes, daughter number two is obsessed with that dress.
Would wear it every day if she could.
And I mostly let her until it's just too dirty.
Because I remember her sister did the same thing.
And then suddenly it all changed.

And she became a jeans every day kind of girl.
So for now, the pretty smocking dress,
it can stay as long as she wants.


Sunday, August 5, 2012

pure love

My goodness.
Just pure sweetness.
These little ladies are finding a way into my heart.
I'm memorizing them and
can pick each one by their distinctive marks.
One with speckles on her wings and a darker beak.
Another, little black flecks in her tail.
A third has three distinct darker marks on each wing and two dots on her beak.
The fourth and fairest of them all, without any marks on her beak at all.

And their personalities too.
One keeps to herself a little more.
One likes to sleep standing up.
Another has to check everything out and then tweet about it rather loudly.
While the others seem to follow her lead.

I've learned they develop a pecking order.
That's literally where this phrase comes from because
one chick will take the lead and the others will fall in order with one at the end of the line.
Poor little one.  I think I know which one it is, but I'm not sure it's strongly established yet.
But as her 'chick mama' I'll make sure she knows Jesus loves her just how she is.

Oh don't worry about me.  I'm not losing it.  Really, kidding.
My husband keeps declaring, "They're chicks.  They are not pets.
They're chickens."

But I don't like seeing anyone feeling like they're at the bottom of the heap.
Even if they are just chickens.

I have always been a softie for any living thing.

As I'm reading up on them, I learned that the baby chicks
will imprint their 'mother'.  Which means they're getting to know me.
And it says some will come to follow after or even respond when they're
called by their 'mother' even if she is a human.  

Pretty cute.


359. planning
360. bathing suits
361. sandy skin
362. coffee in the morning
363. school supplies
364. chirping chicks
365. garden growing
366. a time of re-fueling before a new season
367. fuzzy flowers
368. night time treats
369. movie nights
370. organizing