Jesus, Her Joy!

Molly Elizabeth made her First Holy Communion yesterday.   She was exuberant.  There were times she just couldn't contain her excitement.   I have never seen a child more eager to receive Our Lord.  I have never seen anyone more full of joy than what she was after she returned from the communion rail.  Father's homily was perfect for the occasion.   Live Jesus.  In our own way,  at our own level,  live for Jesus.

The three first communicants being enrolled in Our Lady's Confraternity of the Brown Scapular. 

Molly,  at her own level and in her own way, lives Jesus with joy.   And now that she has received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist,  she lives that joy tenfold.  My prayer is to grow to her level and live Jesus with that same kind of joy.  I have a long way to go.  I know Molly will help me along. :)

Today I am taking my daughters to a final profession of a Sister of the Visitation.  The motto of this particular cloister?  LIVE JESUS.

Seven Quick Takes

Markie - king of the mountain!

Seven Tidbits from the Past Week

I've never participated in seven quick takes before.   I thought I would now,  as it makes blogging quite easy.

1.  Mother Nature cannot seem to decide on a season.  We've seen snow, sleet, rain, (oh lots of rain!)  wind, and a bit of sunshine all in the past five days.  This can make planning anything pretty tricky.  We did manage to get a nice walk in this afternoon. (All pictures in this post were taken on that walk.)

 

Miss Molly, ready for a walk

2. Molly will be receiving Our Lord for the first time on Sunday.  She has been preparing, praying, and she is very excited.  

Sweet Cecilia

 3. Cecilia had a follow up appointment with the plastic surgeon on Tuesday.  Her toes have healed up very nicely though there is some concern with how rigid the scar tissue is.  We are massaging her feet a few times per day and soon we will start her on physical therapy.  My very sweet neighbor brought over some emu oil which is said to be very good for skin ailments.  We will do everything we can to keep her from having to have surgery again.  

The  children in the atrium

 4. Greta had her last day of the year in the atrium at St. Thomas the Apostle.  She participated in a budding Catechesis  of the Good Shepherd program.  She really enjoyed the stories presented to her and the variety of work that she could choose from.  This program was for three and four year olds..  Mark and Cecilia hope to join her in the fall when it will be open to three to six year old children.

5. My three oldest children, Nick, Abby, and Gabe, will be in a production of Shakespears "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Mother's Day weekend.  If you are in the area - come and enjoy the show!

Josie riding on mama's back during the afternoon walk.

 

 6. Josephine is on the verge of taking her first steps.  She stands unsupported constantly,  very proud of her skills.  She really is the most joyful little baby I have ever met. 

Joyful Chaos Homestead coming into view as we return from our walk.

7.  I snuck out for a few hours one evening to enjoy a cup of coffee with two of my dearest friends.  It was nice to sit and chat uninterrupted and undistracted.  Josie and Cecilia were more than ready for mama to come home and snuggle them to sleep.  I came home encouraged and fortified,  eager to live my vocation as a wife and mother to the fullest.  

For more quick takes,  visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary.

Farm Mama Daybook

Sunday,  April 21, 2013
 

 ~ Chilly Spring Edition~

Outside My Window…A clear blue sky.  It was a down right cold 27 degrees when I got up early this morning.  It is a balmy 50 degrees right now. The wind was so bad last week it knocked down the windmill in my garden and blew loose garbage all over the place.   The boys are on their go-cart mucking through the field.  The horse is out in the pasture grazing the early green grass.  The goats are not with the horse. The goats are not happy about this.   Many of the chickens are loose and plucking around the yard. 

The entry way to the garden.  Tony used a hog panel to make an archway over the entrance.  A hog panel also makes a nice makeshift gate to keep the plucky chickens and naughty goats out.

On my mind...I have some nagging negative thoughts lurking around my brain today.  I am working on finding the positive in this particular situation and banishing the bad stuff hanging out up there.  It is a constant struggle.

I am thankful… I am thankful that the days are growing a bit longer and we are seeing more and more sunshine. 

Kids enjoying the sunny day!

From the kitchen… Yesterday was Gabe's 14th birthday.  He requested bacon cheeseburgers, (on those fantastic homemade buns!)  fries, and mozzarella sticks.  Today we had leftovers for lunch.  I have a loose menu plan for the week.

I am wearing…Jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie,  all with bits of hay and mud stuck to them.  I have been in and out of the barn all day. 

I am creating…It's all about the garden right now.

A neat little bed of various lettuces.

I am reading…"The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball.  It is pretty enjoyable.  It is helping inspire me to keep plugging away at the garden, the chickens, the goats, the pigs, the muck, the hay,  the feed, the poop, the slop, the compost...

Dexter and Lily, cute and curious.

 
I am hearing…The whining of the go-cart engine, the muffled sound of the radio from the garage where Nicholas is working on his car, Celia and Greta chatting about a book they are looking at, Josie making nursie sounds in my lap and the gentle sound of the wind chimes outside the closed window.


One of my favorite things… The view. 

 
  What's happening in the barn.... We are preparing to welcome two piglets next week.  This will be our first go round with pigs.  We have had a hog raised for us over the past few years,  now we plan on doing it ourselves.  We moved our bantams to a temporary pen in the barn a few days ago.  We housed them with the ducklings until they are big enough to move in with the rest of the flock.  Unfortunately one of the little bantys  found her way into the tub of water for the mallards and was not able to find her way back out.  I was so sad to see her little body floating on top of the water this morning.   One of our older mama cats birthed two kittens in the hay bin this morning as well. 

Dusty Mama and her babies, only about 6 hours old.

The little banties.  Soon they will move in with the rest of our flock. (24 hens and a roo)

Sammy and Henry's mallards. 

What's happening in the garden....Potatoes went in last week.   I planted thirty three seen potatoes in 11 potato sacks in hopes of growing them vertically.   Abby and Gabe both work at the corner farm market in the summer and we bartered with the owner for 100 pound burlap potato sacks for a sack race in the fall.  These were perfect for planting potatoes in this spring.  Sammy, Henry, and I put a bed of lettuces in last week as well as one hundred onion sets.  The garlic we planted in the fall is coming through the ground nice and green right now.  I have four trays of tomatoes and two trays of peppers under grow lights in the basement.  It will be awhile before we get them in the ground with the cold nights we've been experiencing. 

Eleven 100lb. potato sacks planted with three seed potatoes each.

What's going on with the children.... They are all,  for various reasons,  really excited for summer.  Nicholas will be working hard saving money for Hillsdale College in the fall. Josie is eager to take her first steps.  One gearing up for college and one gearing up to walk.   Abby will be working hard saving money for a car.  Gabe will be working hard saving money and just because he likes to work hard!   The rest of the children are looking forward to long days outside. 

Josie Posie  pretty pie!

Legands of St. Valentine Party

We gathered a group of children around real quick before Ash Wednesday to celebrate and learn more about St. Valentine.  Here are some pics of our wonderful time!

Craft Table

Festive Decor!

Mama's and kids! (just a few kids!)

Yummy food table.   A sweet friend loaned me her drink fountain so we kept the pink lemonade flowing! 

Back to Blogging in 2013

  It has been well over a year since I have last posted.  I am not going to get into any philosophical explanation of my absence (though I wouldn't exactly say absence is the word,  I am active on facebook.)  or dole out excuses for not keeping this up.   I am just going to pick up where I left off, blogging about our day to day.  Food, faith, children, homesteading, chickens, homeschooling.  I am going to pick up because I want to,  I enjoy journaling our adventures.  I really enjoying looking back over past blog posts.  So I'm just going to jump right back in.  Starting with what occupies most of my time, budget, and mind - cooking for fourteen people! 

  Following is our menu for two weeks.  I am working real hard at keeping grocery costs low and keeping everyone full and healthy.  Not an easy task at all.

Chicken scratch menu plan

 
Friday 1/4 (we follow the traditional rules and abstain from meat on all Fridays)
Breakfast:  Oatmeal, coffee/tea
Lunch: Fried eggs and toast, orange juice
Dinner:  Tuna melts and peach cobbler.  (frozen peaches from the past years local harvest.)

Saturday 1/5
Breakast:  Oatmeal with peanut butter, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Baked southwestern chicken egg rolls, chips and salsa
Dinner:  Left over chicken and dumplings from Thursday's dinner

Sunday 1/6
Breakfast:  Oatmeal, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh artisan bread. 
Dinner:  Goulash and mixed frozen veggies

Monday 1/7
Breakfast:  Oatmeal, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretzels, colby cheese cubes,  milk (we take ours raw)
Dinner:  Huge pot of chili with cheese, peppers, and sour cream,  homemade corn bread

Tuesday 1/8
Breakfast:  Homemade oatmeal muffins and cobly/jack cheese cubes, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Leftover chili
Dinner:  Pulled pork in the crockpot on homemade rolls, oven fries, frozen mixed veggies

Super easy homemade sandwich rolls. Lots of them.

Wednesday 1/9
Breakfast: Oatmeal, coffee/tea. Noticing a pattern here?  We have oatmeal nearly every morning.  I doctor it up in various ways each day.  I purchase #25 each month from or local farm to consumer co-op.
Lunch:  Left over sandwhiches
Dinner:  Sweet and sour crock pot chicken over rice,  mixed veggies

Thursday 1/10
Breakfast:  Bagels with cream cheese,  smoothies, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Spaghetti,  salad, artisan bread
Dinner:  Second Thursday potluck following evening mass

Friday 1/11
Breakfast:  Oatmeal, coffee/tea
Lunch:  Migas (eggs, tortillas,  tomatoes, peppers and cheese)
Dinner:  Taco bean soup, artisan bread

Gratuitous adorable baby picture

 

Farm Mama Daybook

Today, Wednesday November 2, 2011

Outside My Window…About a million blackbirds!!  They are all over our property,  the yard, the trees,  and in all the corn/bean fields around us.  It's driving the dogs and cats crazy.  Even the hens had enough and ran off into the coop.  Every once in awhile I hear a kid shout "HOLY COW!"  It is a beautiful fall day,  sunny and warm.  Unseasonably warm I believe.

On my mind...Cecilia's cough. It sounds very croupy.  No fever,  just this awful, croupy cough.  I think we might need to pull out the nebulizer. :(

I am thankful… Every day I am more and more thankful that we have finally moved out of the city.  There is so much to be thankful for here in our old farmhouse.  On this beautiful fall day I am thankful that the children can run and play freely outside. They have so much space,  and they are so carefree.

From the kitchen… We filled our freeze with another yummy piggy last week and we have a continuous supply of fresh eggs.   We have enjoyed many 'breakfast for dinner' meals and hot soups with fresh bread. 

I am wearing…I am seven weeks pregnant and already wearing maternity jeans.  The 'secret fit belly' pants cover my bloated belly very comfortably.  I am all about comfort in my maternity jeans, cozy sweater, and clogs.

I am creating…Our 12th baby! A dozen children sounds just fine!

I am reading…Large Family Logistics again.  A friend lent it to me last year and I devoured the 'implementing systems' portion of the book.  Another friend gifted it to me as a housewarming gift a few weeks ago.  This time I am reading it cover to cover.  It is very inspiring. 
 
I am hearing…Cecilia coughing. :(  Markie playing Batman,  and Marie Bellet from the CD player.  

                "I'm gonna pour it into water pour that water into wine and let that Precious Blood of Mercy wash me clean and change my mind."

 
One of my favorite things…"Mom,  I'm gonna check for eggs!"  :)
 
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…I am so thankful that Thursdays and Fridays are low key days for us.  We have piano lessons and school work to complete,  but this is all done at home.  I get so weary from running around. 

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Upgrades to the Coop!

  We have gathered quite a flock in two months that we have been on the farm.  Chickens are so much fun to watch and there is a never ending well of silly chicken jokes and puns.  We are enjoying many good laughs and good eggs!

 

 

We consistently get at least four eggs per day now.  A couple of times a week we get six.  As our hens get older and reach laying age,  I suspect (and sincerely hope!) to get at least ten. The blue egg is from our Araucana, Crazy Lady.  We have another Araucana that is not yet laying.  

 

 

  These eggs are so much richer in flavor and color than those off the store shelves.  I scrambled a few up the other day and one of the children asked me why I put mustard with the eggs!

This is Niblet, our Jersey Giant.  This picture does not give justice to the size of this substantial lady. We have had her for three weeks now and she has grown like a little (chick)weed.  We call her Niblet because she nibbles on all of us - our hands, feet, ears,  It could be because the children have fed her from all of those places.  She is particularly fond of pecking at my wedding band.  She lays about three times a week right now.  Huge, brown, mostly double yolkers.  

 

 

  The chicken coop is inside of our barn.  To get them accustomed to their home and one another we kept them in the coop day and night.  It is a fairly large coop with good old drafty barn ventilation.  They seemed to do okay that way,  but I knew they would be happier and healthier out in the fresh air and sunshine.  (don't we same the same for our children!?!?)  So my husband and sons took to putting chicken wire around the barnyard.   This was not to keep them confined,  rather to keep them safe from the dogs and coyotes. The barn yard is very very large so I am comfortable calling it free ranging.

  For the first month or so I was physically taking them in and out of the coop each day so they could free range.   I noticed that their productivity increased once they were able to get out,  but I was growing weary of physically moving them in and out every day.  I knew that it would be even better if they could go in and out as they please.  Foraging and frolicking in the daylight,  going in to get a bite of feed or visit the nesting box, and going in for the night to roost in a familiar spot. 

  My husband saw my frustration and went to work on a solution.  The side of the barn where the coop is has a window.  He removed the glass from this window and covered it with a hand made shutter.

 

 

YeeeHaawww!  Rhodie the Red says "I'm freeee!"

  There is a beam inside of the coop that runs in front of the window.  This allows the ladies to scale the beam and get to the window.

See them there all waiting their turn?  It's like Cedar Point or something!

  Then he fashioned a ramp from the window to the ground for the more timid of the flock.  The man has been blessed with many sons, so he had many helpers!

Way to use the ole noggin there Isaac!

All done!  Farmer Husband stands back and survey's his work!

  We are all enjoying this set up much better.  They can go in to sleep when they like,  and come out to forage and play when they like.  Other than making sure the feed bucket and waterers are full, and that the eggs are collected,  it's pretty hands off work.  We enjoy throwing them our scraps and watching them fight over grasshoppers too!

A few of our Reds

 

 

Goldie,  the newest Aruacana,  Obama,  our Barred Rock,  Rhodie,  a Rhode Island Red,  and Niblet,  cackling in the henhouse!