April 2012 - Cold Weather Growers

April is drawing to a close, and I thought a garden tally was appropriate, for those of you wondering what to grow and when -- or just what I do with my day besides blogging and chasing boys.  The unseasonable warmth had me put these things in a little early (some a week or so before normal), but I don't think it's too late to plant them yet.  Just make sure they have enough water as it gets warmer.  A partly shady garden spot will extend the growth of these plants, too, as it's cooler in the summer than the full-sun areas.

Potato plants coming up now.

By the end of this April I have the following in my garden:  26 broccoli plants (some home-grown, others store-bought as my seedlings were very thin this year), 5 rows or red potatoes (from last years stock), 2 rows of yukon gold (purchased), 3 rows of red onions (purchased), a square plot of garlic (3 cloves), 5 rows of beets, 5 rows of carrots, and 8 cabbage plants (new this year).  I have pea seeds, but I'm still not getting my trellis figured out.  Ideally I'd like a trellised entry over the gate, but that means buy ($$ no thanks) or adding another construction project.  I'll have to keep noodling that one around.

Finally, it's a salad garden, instead
of strawberries!

I'm looking forward to fresh salad and herbs.  Some herbs are approaching bloom already -- insane early!  The salad garden is just starting to pop out of the ground.  I also have a salad bowl planter and a planter with chives next to the patio for quick-grabs.

I've staked off the peppers and tomatoes.  Strawberries are blooming (early, I might add) and I don't have the heart to pluck the blooms like I'm supposed to -- I may just let them go and see what happens.    Blueberries and grapes are in various stages of blooming, too.  This will be our first year harvesting those.

This week was also spent transplanting plant starts so they will grow better.  The tomatoes last Thursday (into peat pots a little bigger than the 9-pack seed starters).  Peat pots are worth the expense to me because you don't disrupt the roots when planting in May.  I did the same for the strawberries Tuesday and peppers yesterday (Wednesday).  I'm growing for myself and a few friends.  The leftovers will go in the garage sale for a few extra bucks.

Dog pen, soon to be chicken run.

Chickens, foraging in the green grass.

Our chickens were the big adventure of the month.  They are about 4 weeks old and growing like crazy!  The coop is coming along and boys are trying so very hard to be helpful.  Eventually we will move the shed, clean out the seldom-used dog pen, put Tula's house and a tie out elsewhere in our yard (only to be used when we will be gone for most of the day), set up the coop and have those chickens outside.  For now, they still spend their nights in the brooder box indoors and their days in a re-purposed kid-pen in the sunshine and grass.

Finally, it's always enjoyable to beautify the yard, too!  The boys went around with the garden sheers and trimmed around beds and fixtures.  I planted some pansies in hanging baskets and pots.  I get a $15 budget for annuals (flowers) every year, only spent $11.20 and filled 4 planters and 3 hanging baskets.  I could grow more flowers for the buck from scratch -- but without grow lights, some don't do as well.  I'll be planting marigolds and sunflowers (leftover from previous years' seeds) in the main garden for varmint control and pollinator attraction.  I have a few other potted annuals that were actually in the house over the winter -- one more way to save the bucks!

Miss Bateman Clematis (climber)

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (shrub)

Just a glimpse of what's blooming, for posterity's sake:  Clematis -- my Miss Bateman is blooming, but the Ville de Lyon (pink-red) and the purple/white one (the name escapes me) are not quite there yet -- just buds.  The iris are just popping -- they are one of my faves -- especially the blue ones in my anniversary garden, as those were one of our wedding flowers.  The roses are budding, but not open yet.  The lilacs are just finishing (a month early!)  My flower bushes in the front yard bloomed about two weeks ago and are now just a pretty red leaf.

Hanging baskets --
$2 planter, $1.24 in plants each

Last month I made the point of setting a goal: to paint the picture for our bedroom.  Nope -- didn't get it done.  Guess I'll have to forward that to next month.  I did do some creative things, including some gifts for others, finishing a 2-year crochet project, brainstormed a few ideas, and fixed a few pairs of shoes with my trusty hot glue -- that's a craft, right?  In truth, I feel I get my creative edge when I dig and plant, too.  I'm so blessed be able to get dirty and nurture the various life in and around our home.  Being a mom is just kind of like that -- a little messy, but well worth the rewards!

Moving On and Moving Out

It's so warm and cozy in the nest...but is that where we belong forever?  Nope.  I was reminded of this in life and in watching our chickie babies.  So, first the chickens, then the life-lesson.

Chicken Update -- week 3...ish
Okay, so I'm late posting this, but the pics are at about three weeks.

Chickies are starting to outgrow the box.

Cozy Chicken Box
I tell you, these chicks are growing by the day!  They get a little frenzied (aka assertive) when the food or water runs low.  And if you open the box, they flap a bit and some try to jump out.  They have just about out-grown the box -- very little head room, and if they stretch they can easily reach the top screen.








Growing Girls
They are getting their big-girl feathers too, though there's still some baby fuzz. Just waiting for what some have called the "dinosaur chicken" phase -- they loose the fluff before getting all their feathers and they look like the equivalent of a scraggly, scrawny teenager.  But for now, they are still cute!

Chicks have loved being able to forage --
haven't been eating much feed when they are outside.

Good Day Sunshine!
The sun has been shining and it's been warm enough to put them outside for the afternoons.  I was a little unsure, as I thought they would be at least another week old before we could do that, but my sister, a seasoned chicken-veteran assured me they have enough feathers and they would be fine.

On Kids, Dogs, and Chicks
We've had the chickies in a hexagonal baby-gate style pen (leftover from trying to keep the half-pints in one place while we gardened or socialized).  I love being able to re-purpose something and this baby is handy.  I scored ours at a re-sale shop for half the retail price.  Actually, I got two, one for me and one for the sister who had kids the same age.  We hooked them together for family outings and vacations = giant kid-pen... until DS2 figured out how to prop it up on his rubber ball and squeak out!  Blah -- that kid -- but that's a whole other story!   Hopefully he doesn't teach the chickens any tricks!

Watching you, chickies...

So far DS2 has been very gentle with the chicks; he's earned the privilege of helping put them in the box by picking them up and setting them down, based on his careful behavior.  They all love feeding the chicks by hand, though DS1 gets startled and dumps the feed.  DS1 has been my challenge.  He has some impulse control hiccups -- yesterday I saw him toss a chick (I was inside and he was out).  "I wanted to help it learn to fly."  If I were a cartoon I would have had all those angry squiggles and stars above my head, with funny pointed eyebrows!  DS3 just follows suit with whatever the big bros are doing... still working on him.  They all love to pet the chicks (only when Mom or Dad are holding them).

Tula wants some attention!

Tula keeps going back and forth between guarding them, herding them, and hunting them.  She gets swift discipline for the hunt.  So far said pen is keeping her out, though she is mighty jealous when we pay attention to the chicks and not her.  She stuck her nose in my armpit today while I was trying to round them up!

close-up of Bertha

Naming Babies
Now this is the chick we have dubbed Bertha -- we're concerned she may indeed be a "Bert" the way she likes to strut around like she owns the pen.  We've another that seems to be a little older than the others.  She's a little bigger and her comb is turning red earlier.  One is a little yellower than the others, that's Peep.  And Bo is the smallest of the flock (get it?  Little "Bo" & Peep?)   DS2 has named another Marshmallow. (I think it's because he heard us say Peep and we got them around marshmallow peep season, but who knows).  I hadn't planned on naming them, but sometimes it just fits and sticks.

Cozy Nests and Spacious Sunshine

Coop is coming along, too!

The chicks are nice and cozy in their box, but they LOVE being outside.  Sometimes we have to jump out of the comfort zone to grow the direction we are supposed to.  In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm a junkie for a good metaphor. ;)  When we transition them back into the house for the night, they make such a fuss and squawk getting put back in the bucket to go in, and out of the sunshine they really make a ruckus.  But picking them out of the bucket back into the brooder box is easy, they are calm, and cozy down pretty fast under that warm light.  The comfort zone is always there for them, so they are safe and healthy, but it's much more enjoyable for them to spread the wings and run!  And soon enough their pen and coop will be ready, then they will be out of the brooding box -- their childhood nest for all intents and purposes -- and onto their own home and their own nest.

Leave & Cleave
The Word tells us we are to leave our childhood home and cleave to the new one we are building with our spouse.  Our new family unit supersedes the old one.  You don't forget where you came from, but now there's the new comfort zone, too.  That's where you spread your wings and run in the direction God is sending you.  Going back to the comfort of the nest is wonderful.  I totally dig an afternoon at my mom and dad's house, or vacations with the in-laws.  Yet, after a while we itch for the life we've built outside of that.  We itch for home...and eventually our own nests, rather than that of our parents. We know we are always welcome, and love going back, but there is a new place for us where we fit even more.  It's healthy to leave and cleave... God says so, and he's never wrong!  It's normal -- not something to feel guilty about.  Do my chickies feel guilty about flapping around in the sunshine when they were raised in the brooder box with a little lamp?  Nope.  Stretch your wings and run!

Note... the leave & cleave is intended for grown ups -- teens should not leave and cleave, teens should stay and obey the authority of their parents until they reach their majority, as God designed the family unit to teach you what you need to know for your grown up life.  Just a little mom-ism disclaimer. :)

On Finishing

Okay, so I joke lovingly that DH is often a 93%er... his words, not mine.  Yet, I've realized this last week, I'm just as guilty.  In truth we are a matched set, and it's my hope that we can keep each other motivated through it all.

My yarn basket has been overflowing for two years now.  Up until the days I was shivering with fever and bronchitis, I had four projects that needed finished.  I start ambitious, but tend to fizzle before finishing.  I get distracted: the kids want to sit on my lap, someone needs something, the garden beckons, it's too warm to be buried under yarn, and so on.

There's one project in particular that has been nagging at me.  There's a quirky little story behind it, naturally.  Two years ago we broke down and bought our first new [not 2nd hand, not made from scratch in DH's garage] furniture -- a sofa set.  I was so excited to have something I had picked out.  A few months later, it was a rainy afternoon and boys were going stir-crazy.  Mom was just going crazy.

If you are wondering, this is Lion Jiffy, El Paso.

So, everyone in the mommy-van and off to the craft store.  Now, I have an eye for color.  As I pushed that tiny cart loaded with 85# of boys around, I stumbled upon the perfect yarn for my furniture!  I was so thrilled, the colors were such pretty jewel tones -- exactly the undertones of our green sofa.  Bonus: it was on sale!  Needless to say, I bought out what they had in stock and went home to find a pattern.  The web is a wonderful thing for cheap [ahem, thrifty] crafters like me.  RedHeart had a pattern with an interesting repetition of cluster and petal stitches.

For you crocheters -- it was a double cluster (four dc split
between two st and clustered tog) and petal
(ch 3, dc in first ch)repetition.

Now, I've gotten into gardening, as you know, which means my spring/summer/fall is a wash of planting, tending, harvesting, and canning.  No time for yarn except on vacation (and who wants to haul an afghan around in July?!).  Yeah... two years to complete my afghan.  I'd do a few rows, and it would get back-burnered.  That basket couldn't hold another skein of yarn!  In the mean-time I had done lots of smaller projects, because they were necessary or just quick and easy to finish.  The afghan, not so much.

I've crocheted for years, knitted only recently.  I'll go as long
as my wrist holds out -- same as with my music!

So, it was cool and windy last week, I had a chill, and that yarn beckoned.  I started crocheting and actually finished that afghan I started two years ago.  Today, I believe that project had been saved for a purpose -- to redeem a rotten day.  Did I really want to be sick last week?  Nope.  But it was so nice to cozy under the yarn and finish the last 20 rows of that afghan, which is now adorning the back of my love seat!  The most accomplished sick-day ever ~ and I use the term sick-day loosely, as mom still had to chase kids, discipline for acting out at school, make dinner (pizza rocks!), and feed the animals.  I'm reminded to always give thanks for the blessing in all circumstances.  I was able to finish something!

I attended a local women's faith conference this past weekend, and the speaker shared that what you put in is what you get out.  Strength comes when you persevere through the fatigue of a situation.  If you put into yourself determination [and productivity in this case] you can persevere through wanting to give up.  The doing becomes instinct.  Now, she was talking on a grander, spiritual level, I'm sure.  But the truth is, this goes for our everyday lives, too!  We can find strength to finish things, when we check our motivation and make the doing second nature.  Might I suggest we pray this for ourselves ~ I know I try to: Lord, give me the motivation, determination, and courage to finish what I've started...in all things...and, to remember that it's not for my own glory that I do these things!

Yes, that's a loose end on the lower left corner.  Bah!

If I could only learn to not just finish the project, but weave in my loose ends (now if that isn't a metaphor for life!) ~ DS2's new scarf, my dish cloths, the hand towel for my bathroom ~ that yarn basket would be empty!  And you know what that would mean... aside from being able to start something new, it's a whole lot of satisfaction for finishing the race that was started, persevering through the fatigue and discouragement, and following the instinct to keep going!  And...giving thanks in all things, even sick-days and stagnant projects!

Great Growing Girls!

At least, I hope they are all girls.  I understand id'ing gender for a chicken is not fool-proof.  Even the experts can miss one as they do it so quickly.  I spoke to my uncle's sister yesterday and she told me of the six she got, only 2 were actually hens.  YIKES!

Now we have one girl, Bossy Bertha, that I might believe was mis-identified.  She has always been unafraid.  The last to sleep.  Holds "her"self taller than all the others.  Pounces on all the others.  Flaps "her" wings at us when we are in the brooder box.  We always know by her behavior which one is Bertha.  Yet, I'm practical.  I know if Bertha is a Bert, that chicken will get swiftly repurposed, as eggs won't be an option there.  Still, I really hope we have enough girls for a flock.

Big-girl feathers, starting to overcome the chicky-fluff.

So, chicken update, week 2:  The girls are growing rapidly, and getting their big-girl feathers.  They are almost twice the size they were to begin with, though that makes sense; think of how fast human infants grow in proportion to their lifetimes.  So, our girls are getting fluffier.  We put them in a large tub when we clean the brooder box (bless DH for being willing to do that without even asking me to -- I would and have, but he's been on top of it).  Said tub is also a catch for firewood so there is all kids of chips and dust and dirt -- the girls love fluffing around in it -- dust bath!  Guess that's why they say not to house chickens in a dirt-floor outbuilding with your tractor/mower, huh?

They watch us as much as we watch them...and come
running when we open the lid.  I think they know there is
a snack to be had (only the starter feed, at this point).

We've been hand-feeding them daily (just a little bit of the starter feed) so they are used to our hands and being around us.  We do not hold them unless necessary though, as they still seem so fragile.  We occasionally let the kids do this, too.  DS2 asks daily if he can feed the chickens -- he's still enamored with them.  DS3 wanted to do it too -- he kept giggling, saying it tickles.  We emphasize that they have to just hold their hands very still and let the chicks eat.  It's really fun, as the chickies are comfortable enough with us now that they climb right into your hand or on your arm!  DS1 was feeding them today when one did that, and he was so startled he dumped the feed out of his hand. :)  FYI, always wash hands before and after handling chickies or anything in their house.

I moved the brood light back a wee bit, too, trying to get them acclimated to the temperatures around here.  We have the perches still, though they are often found perching on the feed box, too.  They can now stretch to the top of the box/lid when motivated, and still spook if curious Tula, GSD, comes too close.  They are learning to fluff their feathers out and get comfy, and most sleep perched somewhere.  They still snuggle with each other when sleeping, but move about enough when awake that I'm not concerned they are too cold, just affectionate.

This is the side the nesting boxes will be in.

Just a few more weeks until they can start spending sunny afternoons outside ~ then on to the coop!  DH spent most of the weekend building said outbuilding.  I'm truly blessed beyond measure when I watch him start with a picture and some 2x4s; before I know it he has a plan and is framing walls.  He did that with our house, too, so the coop is just on a smaller scale.  This coop is looking to be around 4x6', with 3 small windows and a shingled roof.  We will be able to walk in to clean it out, too.  I think the nesting boxes are going to have a lid for outside access, too.


In watching these babies grow so rapidly, I'm reminded of how each life on this earth is made by intricate, Divine design.  How wonderful is it to watch a living thing grow, knowing it will be for the purpose of providing nourishment for our family -- it gives a whole new measure to thankfulness!  We are excited to share another level of self-sufficiency with the kids, while teaching them to recognize that it is all ultimately provided by our Father first.  There is something to be said for the slower pace of life ~ it's relaxing, to be sure.  Sometimes you need to just sit back and watch the chickens peck the ground.

A Time To Sow

Oh what a beautiful sunshiny day it was here!  I couldn't resist.  After a little errand-running with DH and DS3, I came home to dig in the dirt.  Scored the fencing for my strawberry bed.  On the advice of more experienced gardeners, I've resigned myself to the fact we will not have berries because we need plant growth this year.  I also found a new Joseph's Coat climbing rose!!! These are so hard to find!  And...we bought windows for the chicken coop ~ DH was already digging into his stash of 2x4s and framing walls this afternoon (I love that handy man of mine!)  His design is loosely based on a photo he found online ~ pics to come as the work progresses

So, the sun was shining, the sons were in the sandbox, and DH was in the garage.  After the last week of frosty nights, I had 3 loads of towel/sheet laundry on the line.  And what would be more natural than digging in the dirt?  Today I planted onions, garlic, lettuce, and staked off other plants to come later in the season (place-holders if you will).

There's a list of cold-weather veggies that would tolerate a mild frost, and I try to get those in as early as possible.  Around here the deep summer is too hot for these goodies, so plant early or don't plant.  Good Friday is a good goal for things like that, other books I've read say "as soon as you can work the ground."  Here are my early spring plantings: Potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, lettuce, spinach, peas, and broccoli.


Now, the potatoes and beets have been in for a few weeks thanks to our mild weather, and are starting to peek out of the ground.  Carrots are in, but not up yet.  Today was onions (I'm trying yet again -- never had good luck with them before), garlic (new this year), and salad greens (in the former strawberry raised bed, closer to the house).

For the onions we bought from the open stock of onion bulbs, and only bought ones that already have green growing; planted them every 6" alternating in true square-foot advantage.  I'm hoping this increases my success rate -- I refuse to give up!  The garlic came as a set of 3 bulbs -- which you split into cloves and plant at 3" intervals.  We use a lot of garlic, so I'm looking forward to having fresh.

I'm so excited to have a true "kitchen garden" now, in addition to the large veggie garden.  DH built a double 4x7' raised bed a few years back.  This is about half the yard closer to the house -- very handy!  The lower tier is herbs, and the upper tier is now salad garden.  Today I planted spinach, gourmet blend lettuce, green ice lettuce, and mesclun seeds.  I also had a few lettuce plants, started three or four weeks ago, so those went in as well.

The peas and broccoli will have to wait for another day.  I need a trellis figured out before I decide where to plant the peas.  My broccoli is not quite big enough to be hardy yet, they are still indoors.  C'est la vie.  Can't do it all in a day, right?

I was motivated by the sunshine, yes.  But also the upcoming forecast.  We've had a cold snap, as can be expected in April.  Most of my plants made it through fine.  There's a little frost-nip on the grapes, but most of the plant is still good.  The lows aren't supposed to dip below 35 for the next 10 days, and 5 days have rain predicted at some point or another -- perfect growing weather!  One of the best gardening tips I can give: plant right before the rain... you save yourself from having to water, and nothing soaks the ground and seeds like a good rain anyway!  Many times I find myself getting those last few seeds in while it's sprinkling -- and it works well.

So as we are told, there is a time for everything under the sun, it is wisdom to recognize it and make the most of it.  A time to cozy and crochet (which I did over the days I nursed a cold), a time to bake (anticipating a joyful holiday with the family), a time to cover plants (being prudent on the freezing nights), and a time to sow (today!) and a time to get that laundry off the line (now, as the sun just set).  What a joy to take each day as it comes and make the most of it -- even when it's jam-packed and challenging!  A favorite of our family: This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Purchasing Peeps

Seems like it's been forever since I've posted -- so many things to catch up on!  My apologies ~ another non-stop week, it seems.  Is this the way it will be for the next 15 years?  Yowsa!  I hope everyone had a blessed Resurrection Celebration Sunday!  Despite some allergies and sinuses, I thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on the cross and celebrating the fact that He conquered the grave!  What greater hope is there than that?!

One of the best parts of the weekend was the music, as always.  I was overjoyed to play my viola with a delightful violinist at church Friday ~ Were You There? shook my soul!  Then I heard my boys singing it that night in bed.  Sunday morning, they were sing Up From the Grave He Arose on the way home from church!  It's amazing how taking your worship with you wherever you go, lets you never forget the Spirit lives within you!

Brand new Chickies!

So, for Easter, we decided to forgo baskets and gobs of candy (a little egg hunt with the cousins after dinner was the extent of it, and the kids had a blast!).   Instead of marshmallow peeps, we got... feathery peeps!  Yup, our biggest adventure to-date is getting our baby chickens!  Our city has an urban chicken ordinance that allows you to keep chickens for eggs in town.  There are rules you have to follow, but it's very do-able.  I took the local Nature Center's class a few weeks ago just to be ready in case we decided to do it, and I'm glad I did!

Chicks at 1 week old.

Now, between trying to be more self-sufficient, teaching the boys to do and make for themselves, and looking and the direction the economy's going -- it just seemed like a good idea. So on Good Friday we went to the local farm store (I know many order them from hatcheries directly, but this was a bit of an impulse -- we had thought to wait a year).  We have a dog pen that seldom gets used, and it's within the placement rules for the city ordinance (distance from neighbors property/ structures etc).  So that will be the chicken run and DH is noodling around coop plans this week.


Our chicks are about a week old.  And though I had done some reading, it really didn't sink in what all we would need/do until we actually got them.  No where did I see an actual check list (and my type A really needed that to retain it all.)  I have since found one at http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx .  We had the basics, but had to do a little scratching around for a few other things, and some realizations just came after having them here.

So, in case you, too, are considering going poultry, I'd like to share my hind-sight's 20/20 list of what I would like to have had in one place for purchasing the chicks.  These tips came from the store, friends with chickens, books, websites and observation.

What to buy/borrow/build:




Brooder box/pen -- Your chickies are tiny, and need to be very warm and protected.  We borrowed a brooder box that my brother-in-law built himself.  You can also make one out cardboard or a plastic tub.  The key is that it has high enough walls to keep the chicks from jumping out, and netting to be sure, or a lid with ample ventilation.  Make it accessible for cleaning, as you will likely be doing it every day or two -- they are fantastic fertilizer factories.





Feeder & waterer -- You need one feeding space for each chick, and the water can either be gravity-fed or a shallow dish.  The downside to the dish is that they will walk right through it (among other naughty things) and you will be changing it 4-5 times a day to keep it clean.  DH built a gravity fed waterer out of a few things from our recycling bin: an empty honey bottle and an empty potato salad container.  He cut the bottom 1 1/2" off the container, and a two small holes about 1/2" up the honey bottle (keep the rest of the bottle in tact and the lid on).  I then whipped out the trusty hot glue gun.  A few circles of glue on the bottom of the bottle and I placed in in the center of the bowl.  Then I did a round of glue at the base to make sure it was sealed to the container.  Voila!  Instant waterer -- the water lasts a day or so.


Chicken Starter (or Starter/Grower) -- You should ask if the chicks are vaccinated (against Coccidiosis), that will determine if you need medicated or unmedicated feed.  If they are vaccinated the medicated feed will nullify it, so this is very important!  You don't want your chickies sick!

Brooder Lamp and bulb -- Those chickies want to be around 95 degrees to begin with -- they'll get sick/die if they get too cold or catch a draft.  You lower the temp by about 5 degrees every week until they are ready for the ambient temperatures around your home/outside.  There are white and red bulbs.  We bought a white one, and then I did more reading and discovered the red is the better way to go.  The white bulb may lead them to be more aggressive or see veins in their fellow chicks and peck at them -- cannibalism is not something you want in your chickens -- it's almost impossible to break, from what I've read.  The red bulb also helps them be more calm and sleep better as it's not so bright.  The chickens' behavior will tell you if your lamp is too close or too far away.  If they are huddled together under the bulb, they are cold; if they are scattered to the corners, the bulb is too close, etc.


Bedding -- They need to be clean!  Pine (never cedar -- which is toxic) shavings work great for this for the young chicks.  Our brooder box has a wire floor, so we have newspaper underneath like in a bird cage.  However we still use some shavings just for something of interest -- bored chickens can get aggressive (kinda like boys, I'm thinking).  They like to have something to scratch at, a natural behavior.



Perches -- By 4-6 days old, chicks will perch (another natural behavior) if there's something available.  If there's nothing, they will perch on the feeder -- and do naughty things in that too (think fertilizer again).  So DH took a few small tree branches he had trimmed off earlier in the week and sawed them flat to sit on the brooder floor -- easy perches!  Most of our birds are sleeping on them now.


Corral, Run & Coop/Shelter -- When they are around 4 weeks old, if it's warm enough, they can start having some outside time during the day in the sunshine.  We plan on using a 6-panel kid-pen that we had used for our own kids.  Cardboard or fencing would also work.  Eventually they will move into the chicken run/dog pen and we will need a shelter built for them.  The key with the shelter is for it to be draft-free when it's cold and predator free all the time.  More on coops later, as we discover that and build our own.

A few words on kids and pets:

I would caution you to make the boundaries clear with both your kids and your current pets.  Our boys have been told no kids touch the chicks until they are 1 month old.  Over-handling these fragile babies could kill them.

Our GSD is fascinated by them.  We had to lay down the orders a few times when she rushed the box.  A quick grab to the scruff, laid her on her back, and a stern voice has deterred her for the most part.  She is more interested when we are hovering over the box, but if we are not she typically leaves them alone. She's a bit jealous of the attention they are getting, I think.  We will continue to monitor her around the chickens, as she is a dog and subject to her instincts either way -- never forget that, even the best dog is still an animal.

All in all we are very excited for this adventure!  The kids greet and say good-bye to the chicks multiple times a day.  Even my TV-obsessed, nearly adhd DS1 would sit for a half-hour or more watching these babies!  DS3 wants to take a nap with them (they nap once or twice an hour).  DS2 is the resident expert -- he's all about what the chicks need and wanting to help -- I can see him joining the coop-construction crew very soon!  I'm even drawn in to watch them interact many times.  I've always found animal behavior interesting (dog packs and bird flocks alike).  What a great learning experience this is; I can't wait to discover this as we go...and as they grow!

A Wing and A Prayer

Mommy's got wings...and popcorn prayers.  Without those two things, I don't think I could get through this life that is often feeling like a juggling act.  Let me clarify:

Mommy's got wings.  I feel like I am being equipped and empowered by something supernatural.  It certainly is not by my own power that I can do so much, learn so much, and keep feeling motivated.  When I was struggling with my depression, I realized that I was trying to fix it with my own power...doing things, chasing contentment.  This thing or that activity or well-behaved kids would make me better -- happier.  Right...and I wondered why I was depressed?  In retrospect my focus was wrong; my why was wrong.

When I stopped looking around me and started looking up, things fell into line a lot better, for a few reasons.

First, the burden was off of me to please others.  My goal was the please the Father, not those people around me.  So I started sifting and filtering through what I know of God and Scripture.  A lot of things seemed less critical and the Son-light started shining in my soul.

Second, if everything I do is for His glory, the satisfaction is that much sweeter, which relieves that hopelessness.  Music is just notes and rhythm until it's PRAISE.  Art is just paint and lines until it is an outpouring of the SOUL.  Gardening is just digging and sweating until it's taking joy in CREATION and PROVISION.  Chores are just dishes and laundry until they become SERVING and LOVING.  These are things I'm called to do...for others, and ultimately for Him!

Third, I recognized that I was not going through this trial for my own benefit, but rather for the promise of a hope and a future.  It's not worth going through if I refuse to allow God to be glorified through it, to allow Him to use it to minister to those around me.  A dear family member once said: "When things are tough you can either decide to be bitter, or decide to take joy in the Lord and what He's going to do with it."  It doesn't get much clearer than that.

So, on to the prayer.  That's what's equipping me, after all.  I wish I could say I spent hours in the Word and in prayer.  I'm too distract-able, though.  I've learned to bend my life around a dependence on God either way.  It's catching and recalling Bible verses in a moment of need or joy.  It's reflecting on my walk with Him.  It's filling my spare time with service and praying for those around me during down time.  It's admitting I need to break from another good thing to spend time in study.  It's sending up popcorn prayers throughout my day, and teaching my children to pray like they are talking to God.  These things uplift my spirit and focus me on my dependence on Him.

Now that's not to say everyday is peaches and roses.  It's not.  There was a point this week where I was trying to be productive and industrious -- moving the last of those bloomin' strawberries so I can get the salad garden in the raised bed.  With three kids, a day's job becomes two weeks of here and there, and salad is a healthy addition to our meals that I can indeed grow for pennies.  What are my 3 DSs doing?  Playing in the sandbox peacefully, so I got to work.  Shortly thereafter, DS2 comes running to the back end of our lot where I'm working, "MOM!  [#1] is spraying the garden hose at me!"  They are not allowed to turn on or spray the hose. *sigh* 

So, I finish putting the plants in the ground and march up the hill.  He was not just spraying the brothers.  He was "watering" the plants via the sandbox, the bikes, my open windows to the kitchen, den and dining room.  Needless to say, my volume went up, my lecture light went on, and he spent the first 10 minutes of his earned cartoon time (for having a "green" day at school) cleaning up water in our home.  I steamed, grumbled, lectured, and even yelled "What were you thinking!?!"  So glad my new neighbors got to hear bits of that. :S


Then I stopped myself, took a breath and made the decision to turn my day around.  Once I get on that irritable/depression downward spiral, it's like trying to get up the gumption to jump off a merry-go-round that was just spun super-fast by the biggest kid on the playground.  But I did it, then realized everyone was watching cartoons contentedly by that point.  Do everything without grumbling or complaining, Mommy.  So, I sneaked out of the house, dug my hands in the dirt and finished my job, sending popcorn prayers the whole time.  Lord, give me patience.  Lord, give me a heart of forgiveness and grace.  Lord, guide me in disciplining my children out of love.  I came in, apologized to them for my anger, discussed what they did wrong and the punishment for such.  My most fervent prayer: Lord, let me let go of this. 


That's the key ~ LET GO AND LET GOD.  Thank you, Father for inviting me to cast my cares on You and let You relieve my anxieties and burdens...and thank you for forgiving me when I do it wrong and get upset anyway.  Most days are good ~ it's not a constant weight on my shoulders.  I have hope that it will be for a purpose that I have muddled through so many years.  When I do err, I know God is calling me to confess and ask forgiveness from my children or husband, just as He expects me to do with Him.  Remember, when I sin against another, God is even more offended by that sin.

Again, I am convicted to check my focus ~ that is what I'm accountable for.  What a golden opportunity to use even my bad days as a way to teach my children about the immeasurable forgiveness and grace of our amazing God!  Let go and let God... He will use even our worst trials for His glory!

March 2012 Roll Call

First bloom of the season!

I had intended this to go up a few days ago ~ but Spring Break was a blur of boys and my weekend was just non-stop.  I find myself on Monday making a long list of all the things I didn't get to this weekend, but really need/want done by...tomorrow!  Renewed library books since I didn't get the research/plan done that I had intended, working on a measure of things for MOPS, and loving the hot coffee and quiet house!

Now, I've decided I'm gonna take inventory at the end of each month as a sort of journal.  Things I've accomplished, highlights, garden progress, etc.  Also a reflection of what I've learned and what I want to tackle next month.  My hope is that this inspires you, dear reader, to do the same.  To pause and reflect, to give thanks and to adjust to what's changed: a way to appreciate this life!

So here's my Top Ten for March on my little home-front:

• Early growth in a great many things.  All the perennials and shrubs are going crazy.  Lilacs, blueberries, grapes, hosta, tulips, herbs.  Even the roses are leafing out all the way up the stems; won't be surprised to see early buds, and full bushes this year -- provided we don't get a late blizzaster. 

roses

grapes

• Moved my strawberries; they seem to be surviving!  Hopefully they flower and we still get a good measure of fruit this year!  I suspect I could make the 10x10' bed bigger; I have so many more strawberry plants.  I planted rows 8" apart, and plants every 6" (recommendation is 2-3 plants per square foot, but the bed they were it was wall to wall strawberries, so I went somewhere in between).

They are all surviving -- debating putting even more in (there are plenty left)
or just selling the rest at a garage sale this spring.  This bed will be FULL by fall, either way.

• Got most of my spring clean up done early, what a load off!  Procrastination is a psychological enemy for me -- the longer I wait, the more apprehensive I am about doing something and the more stressed I get. Yeah for an early start and sunshine to motivate us!

These hosta were all planted from splitting a single over-grown plant a few years ago!
I always love how it looks after I get the winter junk cleaned out!

• Garden plan is made and seeds are started.  May be tweaking the plan a little -- putting cukes outside the garden against our fence so we have more space within the garden for potatoes or corn.  Still toying with that idea.  My goal was to grow enough of each to sustain my family for the year.  Started extra plants too with the prayer to be able to share them with others -- plant it forward!  Tomato seeds are 2" tall and have 2nd set of leaves!  54 tomatoes started, 36 broccoli, 45 peppers, 45 various greens.  Potatoes, beets, etc. go in as soon as it stays dry enough to till the garden.  Blueberries, strawberries, salad, herbs, grapes, and pumpkins are all in separate areas throughout the yard.

Aprx 40'x35', DH says we can always make it bigger too!
red circles = tomatoes (3 types), various Ps at the upper right =peppers,
B = green beans, Br = broccoli, R= rhubarb

• Took the chicken class at our local nature center, as per the urban chicken ordinance here.  Not sure when we'll get the birds, this year or next, but I'm excited about adding another level of self-sufficiency!  DH wants to get a coop built before we get birds.
• My seedlings are getting taller, the garden is getting tilled (about half-way right now), and potatoes & beets are in the ground!  

• Patched a round of boy-jeans.  These boys go through knees like crazy.  I try to have a few pairs that are nice, but the rest get patched rather than replaced.  They are just playing in them anyway!  DS2 says he likes the patches because they are fun and cool, and mommy made them! *swelling heart*  Also fixed a pair of shoes with my trusty hot glue gun.  We don't throw it away until it's beyond help!
• Started a new out-of-the-house work-ish opportunity.  No paycheck, but I love doing the work and have been very blessed by it!  I had thought about a part-time paying job, now that DS1&2 are in school and DS3 is potty trained, but there were big neon signs directing me otherwise.  This is just once a week and it's done wonders for my sanity, and my prayer life!  The Lord made it very clear that I was to be concerned with the work I could do for others, not the paycheck.   Bonus: it gives DS3 time alone with daddy and I'm home before DH goes to work - so no sitter required.  I'm always amazed when God makes his will clear!
• Got into my music more than I have in a long time.  I play viola (not violin) and have been slowly getting my muscle tone and technique back.  I have found a whole new level of uplifting joy by playing through the hymnal -- I seldom play anything else now.  It has literally squashed my irritability and depression.  God is bigger than all my problems and Christ's blood was for my benefit -- a true mercy.  There is something awesome about lifting up praise with words and music that have praised God for many generations, centuries in some cases!
• Got our taxes done and the desk/filing organized.  Procrastinated that way too long, but I'm so glad it's done now!

Biggest Lesson Learned:  Worrying about things changes nothing.  Trying to do everything for myself changes nothing.  The plan is still in His hand and he is ALWAYS our provider.  Trust, prayer and submission go a lot further than self-reliance, frustration, and the rat-race.  Peace is a direct by-product of submitting to the Plan greater than our own.

Goal for Next Month: Finish something I've been putting off -- a painting for our bedroom.  Bought the canvas in November -- have yet to start it!  I love to do it, but keep telling myself I can't until I have a huge chunk of undistracted time.  So basically, I need to let go of my "requirements" and just do what I can when I can -- honestly something I need to do in many areas of my to-do list!

So here's to our pleasant March Lamb (though that last day was a little lion-ish) and off to April we go!