Dreaming What Ifs...

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #16 Seed Money Results

In a recent post I wrote about our church's efforts to teach us Stewardship AND provide for the pantry.

In summation - Our church gave back to it's congregation $5000.  Using our talents, we invested the money for 4 weeks and then gave back.

Today, we learned the total....  over $20,000.

Some of the stories are amazing.  A 5th grade boy was given 50cents.  He used it to purchase a brownie mix.  He made the brownies and then sold them....and he earned $50.

An older woman was given $5.  She purchased yarn, knitted scarves, and sold them (along with other creations she makes) at a Bazaar.  She gave back a good chunk of money.

One group of kids pooled their money together and made cookies and lemonade to sell in their neighborhood.  When a passery-by heard their story he donated $100 to their cause. 

No matter how incredible the stories it is God's hand and the generosity of the human spirit that truly makes me just smile.  There is good out there.  More good than one can imagine.

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #15 or More Baby Pics

A good friend came over yesterday and took some more photos of "Mongrel Mama" and her babies....

 

 

Oops - how did that picture get in there?  Well, it's a picture of MY baby....Growing up way too fast.  He is now a chicken-catcher and my egg-gathering helper. 

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #14 or I'm a Grandma - sort of!

We've had chickens for 5 years and this was the first time I've had one become broody (which means wanting to sit on the nest and raise babies).  Well, I take that back.  I've had other hens act a little broody - but I just threw them off the nest and after a couple days they gave up.

This chicken was in it for the long haul.  She wasn't giving up.  So, I gave her 3 fertilized eggs and let her sit.  Then, she laid one of her own for a total of 4 eggs.

The odd thing is this broody hen is really only a teenager.  She's one of the "Mongrel" chicks we hatched in an incubator this spring.  She's only 7 months old, so I was a bit surprised when she showed the signs.

We waited around for the 21 days and then we started watching.  Finally, yesterday, the first baby hatched.  Mama hen was very upset whenever we tried to look.  She'd growl at us, but let us take little peeks.

However, this morning when we came in she was a bit more defensive and tried to bite us when we touched her.  She did not want us looking. 

Since she was up high in a nest box we had to move her and the babies to a special spot where she could raise them alone safely.

Imagine our delight when we found not one but all four eggs hatched!  A myriad of colors. And for some strange reason I feel like a grandma!  Maybe it's just her success has gone to my head!  (I wonder if next time I'll feel like a great-grandma.)

 

 

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #13 - Little Mama

Remember these cute little Mongrel chicks that we hatched last spring?

 

Well - ONE of these sweetums is brooding, right now on a nest box - and when I peeked last night, there was a "pip" in one of the eggs (and I could hear the baby chirping inside).

 

Tomorrow, I hope to post pictures of the mom and her new babies!

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #12 - You Know You're A Poultry Owner When....

A duck poops all down your front and you don't even react.

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #11 or Turkey Skeleton

I think I've worked on this project with all my children.  Even though my older two attended a different school, I remember hiding "Tom the Turkey". 

Thanksgiving is coming and Tom doesn't want to be served on a plate.  The teacher sends Tom home with the kids and they disguise him.  

I think Jammin' dressed up Tom as an Astronaut.  I vaguely remember Buttercup dressing Tom up as a princess.

This year it was The Caboose's turn.  He thought about it for a split second and said his usual answer.  "A skeleton."

So - Tom The Turkey is a skeleton this year.   I wonder if my real-life turkeys wish they could hide too.

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #10 or FAIL

Because I failed to post yesterday AND couldn't come up with a good enough post for our Veterans today, I am showing this.

Anyone with kids of a certain age will totally get it

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #9 or Without a dog, you might forget your pants

 

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #8 or Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Crockpot Soup (a recipe given to me by a friend)

- 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken- (to save even more time - cook in the crockpot overnight, with some salsa, so it would be done in the morning, to add the rest of the stuff.
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes,
- 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn-(or canned if what is in the cupboard) 
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.    

Top with cheddar cheese and crunch chips.

It's what's for dinner - TONIGHT!

NaBloPoMo 2013 - #7 or God Provides With a Little Seed Money

I haven't spoken of my faith on here before - mainly because I didn't fully understand it myself until two and a half years ago.  Cancer has a way of putting things into perspective.  It helped me reevaluate the important aspects of life.  And also, it helped that God actually spoke to me.  It was hard not to sit up and listen when receiving a WHAM like that! 

Recently, our church gave back $5,000 dollars to it's parishoners as "Seed Money" to help  the church's food pantry this Holiday Season.  They passed around the offering basket full of envelopes, containing different denominations of money.  I pulled one of the largest bills - $50.   The pastor asked us to use our talents, "invest" the money using these talents, and then return the results in 4 weeks.  All the money goes to the Food Pantry.

I stressed for a solid week straight.  Then, I decided my chickens needed to play a role.  I used the $50 to purchase feed.  I'd give the money back I made selling eggs.  A simple calculation resulted in a doubling of the money in 4 weeks.  However, I decided to give back as long as it took my chickens to eat through $50 worth of food. (~3 months)

After I had figured the entire scenario out, my regular egg buyers stopped buying.  Three of them left town.  One went on a special diet, another stopped calling.  No eggs sold for a solid week.

I started to stress again.  My eggs piled up in the fridge.  I had to do something to sell these eggs.  Dave started making a sign for our driveway.  I quickly placed an ad on Craig's List.  Surely, someone around here was interested in buying eggs.

As I placed the ad, I daydreamed a bit and laughed, "Hey Lord, it should would be nice if someone called up and wanted ALL of my eggs....like some local chef or something."  But, I knew that wasn't going to happen....

Do not doubt God.

Within hours of placing my ad, I received a phone call, and the first words out of the man's mouth were, "I want all of your eggs."  He is an egg distributor and needs more local eggs for some of his markets.  He wants free-range local eggs from small farms.  

I couldn't believe it.  I jumped for joy.  I Praised God and Thanked Him...He put the situation in place - not only helping the church (and their food pantry) but in helping me find a permanent buyer for my eggs.

God provides and He is good.