Long time no see!

Hi there! Long time no see! Sorry it's been so long...my crazy life has been crazier and busier than ever. I made the decision in January (well, maybe in December) to cut out a couple of things from my schedule. I thought that would free up some time for me, but it ended up making room for more stuff! I really don't mind, though. I love staying so busy. As long as I am home to leisurely prepare my family's meals and spend quality time together most evenings, I am good.

A little schedule rundown: Monday - soup kitchen, Tuesday - babysit in the AM then free after 10, Wednesday - cater lunch for BLT'ers, Thursday - farm, Friday - free, usually visit with a friend.

My sweet, sweet husband has been very busy around here, too. He built the girls a loft-style bunk bed. DJ decided he wanted one too, and got a loft as well. Only with his, there's no bed underneath, just a nice cozy space to keep his toys and a comfy chair to kick back and watch TV on. Then, a couple of friends called and asked if we were interested in some chickens. Danny got on it and built a coop and we acquired 5 hens this weekend! That comes to 8 chickens in all - 6 girls and 2 boys.

Here is the coop. D built it off of the playhouse that he built for the kids a couple of years ago for Christmas. It is 8' x 8' - isn't it great??? He used all recycled materials, except for the wire and screws. It is securely covered with poultry netting so as to keep those pesky night time marauders out. By the way, Sweet (grumpy) Eddie was taken by the N.M. a couple of weeks ago. So sad.

Here is Sunny. We have had her for a while. She always laid her eggs where I couldn't find them. In fact, since November, I have only found her eggs twice! Now she's in the coop and we are finding them. : ) She has never been overly friendly with humans- always very skittish. She didn't take well to Rosalina (see below) at first, but they are all finding their place.

Here is Star. This is DJ's baby. He is our largest chicken. We have to have a golf club in our hands when we go outside so he knows to stay away from us. We don't have to use it, thankfully! He stays away for the most part and is getting much better now that there are more girls around. I am glad he started behaving better because he was in trouble for getting grumpy with Turkey and was going to take a trip to the feed store. He has another chance! : )

Sweet, sweet Rosalina. She was born in a kindergarten class. She only wants to be with us humans. Sunny wasn't very nice to her at first, and she spent all of her time hiding from her and the other hens, but has found a friend (see Honey). This girl will come up to me and reach to be held in my arms. She snuggles and sleeps in our arms. She is my favorite! (I think the kids' fave, too.)

Here is Moon. This was Sophia's baby from the start. He is a gentle giant with a wonderful disposition. Notice the chicken wire between him and Star. Star is the dominant rooster and will kill Moon if he has a chance. We are very diligent about keeping them apart and it all seems to be working out well. They take turns with the hens and grazing outside of the coop.



Here is Honey. Her name is appropriate, as she is so doggone sweet! She and Rosalina have bonded and now they cannot be separated. She also will stand there waiting to be held in our arms. She makes me smile, especially since she "rescued" Rosa.




Here are CiCi (l) and Dotty (r). They are not very personable, quite bossy, and they stick together. They are great egg layers, though! : ) This picture doesn't do them justice - they are very beautiful.

Here is Bella. We just got her today. She was hen pecked by CiCi and Dotty when they had to share a small space together. She is extremely timid and is hiding away in the crate. I am hoping that she will come around and get accustomed to living with the others.

I recently bought the book Nourishing Traditions. That has been taking up a lot of my time as I

have been devouring the pages and highly recommend it to anyone who is concerned with feeding their family the most nutritious and wholesome foods possible. I have learned so much, and it has reinforced many of my gut instincts (no pun intended, hehe!) about food preparation. I can honestly say that I have been eating foods from the recipes in this book and have never felt better.

Here's a picture of the heart of a head of red cabbage that I used for my ruby slaw recipe. Doesn't this picture make you smile? I am amazed at the beauty of God's creation. Even inside a head of cabbage. How beautiful and perfect!

And a treat for you, My Ruby Slaw recipe:

Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

(you can use one whole head of either if you want)

2 beets, peeled and shredded

1 kohlrabi, peeled and shredded

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

1 tart apple, peeled and shredded

2 green onions, chopped, or 1/3 red onion, very thinly sliced

Dressing

1/4 c oil (canola)

1/2 c white vinegar

1/2 c honey or white sugar

1/2 t celery seed

pepper

salt

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake vigorously till well combined. Add dressing to slaw and refrigerate till serving time. (I like to eat it right away because I can't wait!) This is delicious and pleasing to look at.

Enjoy!!!!!

Thanks for being so patient and checking back in! I will try to blog more, I promise! : )

Love you!