Saturday Morning Chicken Photos

This is a picture of my little flock of Bantams.
I haven't taken pictures of them in a while, they
want to sit and be broody all of the time.
I still kind of wish that I did not get rid of my little
roosters, but these girls were not very friendly to the
boys and every time they got to close the girls beat them
up so bad the little roosters started going the
other way.

This is one of my Cuckoo Marans, she is my buddy.
She follows me every where and always manages
to be outside the gate when I am. I am always afraid
that the fox is hiding and will grab her and take off.

This is another better picture of her. She is a free
thinker, she won't lay her eggs in the nest box but
now has a nest underneath the nest boxes. She is the one
who hides her eggs if I let them out in the yard.

This is one of my New Jersey Giants. I love these hens too
they are gentle and sweet. They are very good layers too.
I am very happy with this bunch of hens this year. I am getting
12 to 15 eggs most days. My older hens are laying too now that it
has cooled off some. My older hens though are starting to molt. I
know that will effect egg production. I have been buying high
protein crumbles and I have stopped getting soft or shell less
eggs. I have noticed they stopped eating eggs too. I had some older
hens that would do that from time to time. I know they have
got lots of produce and fruit this year so I don't know how
that has factored in but it is nice to be getting such nice eggs.

I had to show you this picture, I walked out my front door,
and there was this nutty preying mantis on the door mat.
I didn't see it at first, I heard it making this weird sound.
It ran at my foot hissing. I went back in and got my camera.
It was the perfect model. I suppose it is a girl since they bite the
heads off of their husbands and she looks like she was going to
lay eggs. I have noticed that fall must be on the way, because
I keep finding these crazy bugs like this.
I remember my Grandpa saying, after watching one when I was a kid
that if they were bigger they would take over the world.
After watching this one, it even kept running at me hissing,
I thought there needs to be some horror flick with one of these things
as the bad guy.
I just left it alone and went in the house. Silly bug.

I hope you have a lovely Saturday, and guess what?
Three days until fall officially starts! Yahoo!!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Fiber Friday

I am linking today to Little Bit of Life for her Fiber Friday.
I have been working on a few things. I did the above punch needle
but just got up the courage to show you a picture. I bought my pattern
from Bird Brain Designs.

I bought this pattern years and years ago. It is from
Bunny Hugs.com It has taken me years to get to all of the patterns
that I had stuck away. I mean I had no excuse, I had all of the
wool I had the hardest time cutting it. I handle it and look at it
and put it back in my box. I finally grabbed myself by the scruff
and said, " You will cut this wool Now!" So I did. I love how it
looks, I thinking of doing another.

Here is some of the progress I have made this week on
my rug. I love being a 10 minute rug hooker because
I can do it for 10 minutes and put it away. No guilt.
I think I will be working on my counted cross stitch
I have been doing, called Something Wicked. It has been
fun.
I also wanted to add that I came to the end of my 80 day challenge
to walk 10,000 steps every day. When I started I didn't think I could
do it but as time went on it got easier and easier and my average became
12-15,000 steps a day. Now I am kind of lost and wondering about doing
it for 80 days more. I will let you know what I decide.
I just thought I should say something today. It was kind of a big deal to me.
I hope you have a lovely Friday.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Thankful Thursday

If God is almighty, there can be no evil so
great as to be beyond His power to transform.
That transforming power brings light out of darkness, joy out
of sorrow, gain out of loss, life out of death.
(Elisabeth Elliot)
Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden,
and they shall sorrow no more at all.
(Jeremiah 31:12)

So often in this life I think that we can look back and
see the defining moment when life gave us a challenge.
It is up to us to choose what to do with that gift that
has been given.
In 1969, I was 11 and God decided that His perfect will
for my life, was that my Mom should go home to be at
home with Him. I have thought about that defining moment
in my own life a bunch this week, because her birthday
is today, had she still lived here, she would have been 71.
Instead, God took her at 30, In that moment of time, I was
changed. I think sometimes I grew very old. I went from
being a daughter to a girl who got off the school bus each
day to a empty house and I went in to make beds and
clean the house before my Dad got home from work.

My brother was eight and my sister was six. I became a Mom.
I tried so hard to carry the burden, on Saturdays I did laundry.
I think though, much harder than loosing my Mom, was my Dad remarried
February 14, 1970
I had 3 step brothers and new Mom.

I struggled to keep my faith, I struggled to listen and follow God. In 1970 though
It was the Age of Aquarius, Hair was a huge stage play and Jesus Christ Superstar,
was all of the rage. I wanted so bad to be a hippie. Thank goodness for
Farah Fawcett. :) I went to a grade school that saved my life and my sanity.
Our community was so small that everyone knew what had went on.
The teachers at my school were for the most part deeply caring and a lot
of them were Christians that came along side and gave me balance.

The Brady Bunch was cool so we became the coolest people in school and my
step Mom looked a lot like Mrs. Brady.
Then I went to High school I stayed pretty much a good girl but by the time
my senior year came, I took a class taught by a Atheistic Jewish woman,
who hated the Bible and she taught me to distrust the Bible, and God. I took
a Evolution course taught by a Christian who destroyed what little faith
I had left.
By the time I graduated from High school I was into Transcendental Meditation.
I was looking for my own Yogi and yet, there was always a nagging.
What will you do with Jesus? Always, I could never get away.
My Mom had made me memorize scripture before she died, so
those verses would come back to me all of the time.

By 1980 I met my husband, and he was a Christian and he went to
church. I didn't want to go. I went anyway because of the Gettysburg
Address, A house divided cannot stand. I knew that if we were not
of one mind on this issue then our marriage would be fractured.
My husband was my best friend and no matter what, I did not
want to loose him.

I remember a lady inviting me over to her house for tea, she was telling
me about all of these answers to prayers, and the books she read.
I was into Stephen King, The Dragon Riders of Pern and a bunch others
that I don't remember.
I didn't tell her what I read.
She invited me to go to Bible Study Fellowship. She even got a babysitter,
because by this time we had our first child.
I went, I sat with my arms folded across my chest. I did not want to be there.
I listened to the lecture and thought, " What a lot of bunk." " These people
are nuts." " I am not coming back, ever." They gave me my lesson
and I went home and tried to do it.
I read the Bible and for the first time, my eyes were open. By October
I had got on my knees and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.
I was forever changed.

I have often wondered. About that day in September, would I have ever
been a Christian if God had not chosen to take my Mom? Would I have
ever been blessed by having a second Mom?
Would I have ever been blessed by having my great step-brothers?
I don't think so, It was a crushing blow to be sure, but God meant it
for good and I was given a great gift. Sometimes, we don't see
"the rest of the story," until decades later. But for me, I see it
as the golden thread that runs all through the fabric of my life.
Today, I am thankful, that I have now two Moms in heaven.
I have been so blessed and I wish you blessings on This
lovely Thursday in September.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)

Odds and Ends of Wednesday

I was thinking today that sometimes being a Christian,
means doing and being weird. How many times I have made a fool of myself, and
it has turned out for good.

When the kids were small and I needed some time
away I would got to a book store. I had been praying
that God would use me and that He would give me
eyes to see people with His eyes.

I was in the bookstore looking and reading some books,
when I felt like someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I even looked around No one. There was this lovely woman
looking at books too.
I felt this nudge thing again, and I don't know but this thought
pops into my head, " Go tell that lady, she is beautiful and that
I love her." I am having the argument in my head, " Are you nuts!!
" I am not going to go tell that perfect stranger that." I keep looking at
her and then I am reminded of my prayer, and I walk over, and I say,
" Um, excuse, me, um, I am supposed to tell you something, um, I am
not nuts, really." She says, " Yes?" She has really beautiful eyes, and
I said, " I have never done this before, but I am supposed to tell you
how beautiful you are and that God loves you."

Right there, in the bookstore that lady fell apart. She fell into my arms,
sobbing, I am patting her back and I am crying because I am thinking I have done something
really bad, and she is just sobbing. A person that worked in the store walked over
and brought a box of Kleenex and leaves it, so it made me wonder does
this kind of thing happen a lot?

Finally when she can breathe without tears running down her face,
she says, " Today is my birthday, no one remembered. I have
been standing here asking God if He loves me, I felt so old today,
and so unloved and then you come up with a message from Him."

We talked a bit, then I stood there in the bookstore and held her
hand and I prayed for her and then I went out to my car
to go home, asking God to forgive me for doubting Him, and
it scared me so much, because what if I had said "no," that day?

It changed me and made me believe that every single person,
every chance encounter, is not a coincidence but a divine appointment
brought there by God.

It happens more often than not. Every time I leave the house, God has
appointments. My son was with me one day and was reading a book
for school about Nicky Cruz, (the guy who was saved by David Wilkerson in a Cross and a Switch blade) and he had been wondering if
God still changed people like then and a person I knew
from long ago happened to see me and stopped me, and
gave me his testimony about drug use, prison life and
gang life and how Jesus had changed him.
I didn't know my son had wondered that, but for him
it was a huge answer to prayer and one he has never
forgotten.
I think that everyone lives extraordinary lives,
I think that every day can be a exciting adventure,
I am glad that today I could share mine.
I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!

(Psalm. 107:6)