Under His Wings

As you can see, Banty is a very protective mama to her babies. And even though she's not their biological mama, she doesn't know that. She protects them as if they were her very own.

 If she senses danger, she gathers them under wings to keep them safe.

 

When she does this, it reminds me of Psalm 91:4 :  

"He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

I'm so thankful that we can find refuge in the Lord when troubled times are upon us.

Have a blessed day, friends!

Our Surrogate Chicken

We have been trying for 2 years to hatch our turkey eggs, but the hens just wouldn't co-operate. We made them a nice, secluded, cozy nest lined with cedar twigs and pine shavings. The hens would sit on the eggs, but not long enough to hatch them out. 

So after 2 years of disappointment, we decided to go unconventional and use a surrogate to hatch the eggs. 

Enter Banty, our Bantam hen. She might be small, but she's an excellent setter. And when went she broody a few weeks ago, we decided to give her a chance at hatching the turkey eggs. 

From the beginning, she was consistent and diligent, only leaving the nest occasionally to get a drink of water and eat the clover we were feeding her.

We waited and waited. 

Then yesterday morning, while the children were outside doing their morning chores, I heard Natalie yell, "Baby turkeys!!!"

I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

And this is what I saw..

Banty had hatched all four eggs!

One little turkey was looking a little sickly, but we hand feed him a few times. And by last night he was on his feet and acting fine.

So, our turkey flock has increased by four. 

Next up - enlarging our chicken flock by hatching out some baby chicks, and Banty just might be the one to do it.  :)

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Memorial Day, 2013

(source: The Fraternal Order of United States Marines)

Enough said.

Tied Down by Edgar Guest

Tied Down 

"They tie you down," a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.
"When babies come you cannot go
 

In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you."

I looked at her and said: "'Tis true
That children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
 

It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?
Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?

"They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
 

And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.
They tie you fast to chubby feet,
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.

"They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso'er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
 

And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.

 

"Oh, go your selfish way and free,
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
 

Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,

                                 And win from them earth's finest joy."
                                                                                

       ~by Edgar Guest

Have you ever read this poem, friends?

It speaks volumes, doesn't it?

I hope you're having a wonderful week!  :)

Re-post - Dandelion Bread Recipe

It's that time of year again, everyone...

...dandelions are in bloom!

So guess what it's time for ??

Right! Dandelion bread!

Here's a re-post of last year's recipe that I shared for those who missed it...

4 c. flour

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1  1/2 - 2 c. dandelion petals**

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. honey

2 eggs

2  2/3 c. milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine dry ingredients, including petals.

In separate bowl, mix oil, honey, eggs, and milk.

Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.If not done, lower temperature to 350 and

continue baking, checking every 5 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

**Remember to wash the blossoms before trimming the petals and make sure you gather blossoms that have not been treated with weed killer.

Here are some photos of how mine turned out...

                                           ...the petals.

                                          You can see yellow flecks in the batter.

                                               Just out of the oven.

                                          The inside is a pretty golden color.  :)

 Happy baking!

sharing with Raising Homemakers
and Our Simple Farm

Weekly Wrap-up {1}

Homeschool Mother's Journal, 4/26/13

In my life this week...I am still getting used to taking care of our dairy goats. Milking has become a habit, but I'm still adjusting to the actual care of the goats. But the more I do it, the more I enjoy it. And the children are loving it, too.  :)

In our homeschool this week...we got all of the lessons completed in 4 days, so we have today off - the youngers and I will  run errands. And Ian went to work with hubby.

Helpful homeschool advice or tips to share...when looking for next year's school books, check out the used books at abebooks.com  or on amazon.com. I got all of my children's books (used)  for next year for $130.00 using both websites. Some of the books only cost a penny! And they are in great shape. Also, with the AO curriculum that we use, many of the books are in the public domain, so they can be read online for free, saving even more money.

People we're seeing...friends came for the afternoon yesterday. And today, our homeschool group is having park play date. Not sure if we're going, though. 

My favorite thing this week was...Ian conquered graphing parabolas! Yay!  :)

My children's favorite things this week were...the readings in George Washington's World, Abigail Adams, Shakespeare, and sketching in their Nature journals.

Things I am working on... trying to find joy in the Lord - even in the midst of trials. 

I am cooking...Ham-Broccoli Stromboli and Cream of Tomato for supper tonight.

I am grateful for...a very encouraging conversation with a dear friend on Wednesday afternoon.

I am praying for...a friend whose mom passed away of cancer 2 days ago. She was such a sweet lady and radiated the love of the Lord. I am so thankful that her suffering is over and she is finally Home, but I'm saddened for the family members that have to adjust to life with her.

I rewarded my children this week with... homemade chocolate syrup to make chocolate goat milk. 

Something I have my eye on...a grain mill to make my own flour. Wow - they are pricey! So at this point, I'm  praying about it.

A photo to share...

Ian dissecting a crayfish for Biology.

A quote to share..."If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let the mother go out to play!" ~ Charlotte Mason (vol.3 p.33)

Hoping you have a week-end full of the Lord's blessings, friends!  :)

sharing this week with

 

 

Speaking Up

Hi friends,

I am a firm believer in Psalm 101:3, which says, "I will set no evil thing before my eyes." That goes for what I read, what I see on TV (thankfully we don't have cable TV or Dish network), and what I see on the Internet.

But it's not just my eyes that I protect; I also do my best protect the eyes of my children.  And sometimes, even a trip to our local Walmart can expose them to trashy magazines covers with what I consider soft porn photos on the front covers. I even joked with one of my friends about putting blinders on my children when we go out in public..like the ones horses wear...

(source: www.colourbox.com)

So, to shield their eyes, I am always at the front of the cart as we approach the check-out. And if I see anything I don't want them to see, I flip those magazines around so that the back cover is showing. I get some odd looks from other shoppers, and even the cashiers.  I  always eagerly await their questions as to why I'm doing what I'm doing. But so far, no one has asked.

Then, a few weeks ago, we went into our local dollar store. I walked into the store in front of the children, knowing that there is a magazine stand just inside the door, and I would stand in front of it if necessary to block the photos on the front covers. Yep - there it was - a Sports Illustrated issue, and the worst kind - the Swimsuit issue!  I stood in front of the magazines as the children came into the store and they never saw a thing. I breathed a prayer of thanks to the Lord, and a sigh of relief as we gathered what we needed,  headed for the check-out, and got in line.

As we approached the cashier, I looked for the magazine, but didn't see it anywhere. There were a few "rag mags", as I call them (you know the ones I'm talking about - stories about women having 50-pound babies, etc) , but nothing trashy. And no Sports Illustrated. Another prayer of thanks. 

Then it was our turn to pay for our things. And what do you think was on a small magazine stand right beside the cashier?? A stack of the Sports Illustrated issue! Just when I thought we were home free! 

Well, I couldn't help but speak up. (After all, I made sure they didn't see it the first time, and there it was - right in front  of our faces and there was no shielding them from it this time.)

So I  pointed to the magazines and said to the cashier, "Do you all have to put out those awful magazines right where children can see them? It's really sad that I can't take my children out in public without exposing them to that trash!" (And I should have mentioned that  no one should have to look at them, but my blood pressure was in stroke range at this point - so I didn't have the mental clarity to mention anyone but children. lol.)

The cashier giggled, and that was it. I paid for my things, and as I turned to leave, she grabbed the magazines and put them under the counter. I was surprised! I  mumbled a "Thank you" and headed out the door, but wondered if the magazines would back on display when we went back. 

They weren't. We have been in the store several times since then, and they're gone. There's not even a slot to put the SI magazines in!

I never thought that my speaking  up would make a difference. And maybe I wasn't the only one that complained about it. But who cares??? The magazines. are. gone. 

And in a small way, the innocence of my children is preserved....for a little longer anyway. 

So I would encourage all you mamas out there who are concerned about what your children see, speak up! You might be surprised at the result. I certainly was.  :)

"Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in your way." ~ Psalm 119:37

sharing with Deep Roots At Home