Snow + Trampoline = Fun!

I know for those of us who grew up in climates that have serious snow, my pictures today will seem really wimpy. I remember trick or treating as a little girl in Colorado in snow drifts taller than me. There are toddler pictures of me in Montana where the snow drifts are twice the size of me. So these pics I am sharing today will seem really wimpy. But we still had fun!

Snowball fight!

Nice form! Jumping and throwing and picture taking!

Christmas is Coming! Let's Add Some Levity to This Economy!

Dear Friends and Family,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, but Christmas is tight this year.

I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me
know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and
should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.
Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.
The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.


Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most
aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the
Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the
nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each
one of you.

The Chicken Posts are Only Going to Get Worse

Remember how happy I was that it seemed like Lizzie and the others were getting along so well? It was short lived. I went to let them all out the next morning from their enclosed roost. The two white chickens, Maisy and Daisy, had thumped on Lizzie all night long. She was pretty beat up--again. The raccoon did worse damage, but we were back to square one. We have an injured chicken in our house, and no hope that she can go outside with the others.

Okay, new plan! I have had it with the two leghorns. They have always been a bit aggressive and mean. It's a characteristic of their breed. If you want a chicken for a pet, they aren't the best choice. I got them as a freebie. They lay great eggs, which is why they are what we get in the grocery stores. As a family we agreed it was time for Maisy and Daisy to find a home where they aren't hurting others. I posted them on craigslist, specific that they needed to be by themselves and not around other chickens, and they have a new home. I am glad for them, I am glad for Lizzie.

Lizzie is now outside, and acting very chicken like. She is still just a bit nervous. She keeps looking around seeing if Maisy and Daisy are going to pop out somewhere and pounce on her.

A hen by itself is not a good situation. They are very social creatures, and will eventually just kind of go numb without a friend.

Here is the plan:

1) Encourage Lizzie to go "broody". That means make her go into mama-chicken protective mode to get her to lay on a clutch of eggs, incubate them and raise them.

2) Have her incubate a bunch of eggs.

3) Give away any roosters that emerge from that clutch.

4) Keep a few hens and give a few away.

5) Have peace in our coop because Lizzie and her "family" won't kill each other because they suddenly don't remember who each other is.

5) Get the kids involved in this little adventure and maybe learn some cool things.

6) Buy eggs for the next four months. Bummer!

The biggest question from my chicken lovin' friends out there, what breed will you choose? I have had in the past Plymouth Barred Rocks (black and white birds, lay big brown eggs) and Rhode Island Reds (brown/red birds that lay big brown eggs). Both are very friendly, and the kids would definitely not have to run from them. Both lay huge brown eggs, which I love. I have found a place where I can get Rhode Island Reds, and we'll see what we can do to get the eggs underneath Lizzie's little belly. I also found a place that has Black Australorps, which is what Lizzie is. I just don't like their eggs as much. They are very small. I like big eggs.

I would consider Buff Orpingtons, because they are truly a beautiful golden color. They are known for their pet friendliness, and their large brown eggs. I just can't find a place that breeds them. Maybe next time.

Here is what is a bit freaky. This is seriously a hair brained idea isn't it? My husband is going for it! When I mentioned posting Maisy and Daisy to craigslist, brooding Lizzie, etc. He said, "When can we post it? Can we get fertilized eggs after the holidays? This would be great for the kids to get involved in."

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

Chicken Soap Opera Continues...

Okay, so in the days before Thanksgiving and knowing we would be out of town, I was trying to incorporate Lizzie back into the chicken coop. The problem was the other chickens forgot who she was and started thumping on her. Normally, I let them just duke it out, but this time I couldn't. She is still injured, yet healing, and it's two beating up on one.

What to do?? Not sure yet, but on Wednesday afternoon I go to check on the two remaining ones outside, Maisy and Daisy. Suddenly, Maisy is gone. I mean gone. I was freaking out, just knowing I would find a pile of feathers and a glance at a satisfied raccoon. I look all over, and find her cowering in a corner.

I figured out what happened. The leak in our fencing into the coop that allowed the raccoon in also has allowed our 60 pound dog, Clementine, in. I had let the dog out earlier, and she had been inside now for about two hours. I think Clementine roughed up Maisy. I can't get too mad. How do you tell a dog to go after small animals (rats, squirrels, and raccoons) and not the small chickens?

Maisy is not nearly as tame as Lizzie, yet she let me pick her up and examine her. Her wings were fine, no blood, just limped a bit but no broken bones. I think she is just bruised a bit.

Now what? We are even further from what to do with all these critters! No one wants to babysit beaten up chickens! First things first, I sat on my behind in that chicken coop and pulled out chicken wire, dug up dirt, reinstalled galvanized wire, buried the wired 6+ inches below the surface, and buried it under river rock. Good luck to the next critter who tries to dig under it.

Next, my neighbor volunteered to take Lizzie for the few days if she were in an animal carrier. Done! She also agreed to come over and lock up chickens at night. I love my neighbor! She absolutely loved taking care of Lizzie, her grandson came over to see her and enjoyed her sweet cooing.

Okay, a few days ago, I am cleaning up Maisy a bit and holding her down. I clip her little claws, and sure enough, clipped too close and her toenail starts bleeding profusely. Luckily I have stryptic which is an instant bonding agent that stopped the bleeding.

Right after I got her bleeding under control, and put her back in her coop, the dog decides to try to escape and gets her leg wedged under our fence. It took both my husband and I to unwedge her. Her yelping could be heard for blocks.

Lord have mercy on our critters!

All that to say, the plan for Lizzie. I have been putting her little animal carrier out in the coop with the chickens so they can get reacquainted without beating each other up. It seems to be working. Plus, with Maisy being a bit gimpy it's taken the fight out of her a bit. Yesterday, Maisy and Daisy were all cuddled up on the outside of the door to the carrier cooing at Lizzie.

Today, I stopped in the kitchen with Lizzie to go outside. I opened the door to replace her water, and she just starts strutting around my kitchen. Thank goodness the dog didn't see her! She really seemed ready to go outside. She wasn't cowering in the corner anymore. She seems recovered, not just healing. Her head still has matted feathers, and I think we'll just wait for those to work themselves out.

I put her outside with Maisy and Daisy today, not in the carrier. Instead of attacking Lizzie right off the bat, Maisy and Daisy just acted curious. After a few minutes, there was a bit of squawking and posturing, but Lizzie was defending herself. There is a need to redefine pecking order, and I understand that, but it wasn't a fair fight 10 days ago when I first tried to put her out there. She would have been reinjured. Now, they are all getting to know each other again, with just a few squabbles.

And more restful nights for me.

Things of Value

I was reduced to tears today thinking of what happened yesterday in church. Let me tell you about how God teaches me things...

For a few months now, our church has had an unusual family coming to our church. We are an Episcopalian church, but don't worry for all you theologians out there watching the huge rift in the Episcopal church, we are the minority voice of conservatism.

Anyway, this family is huge. It is a set of parents, and maybe even some grandparents, and as far as I can count eight children. They are Burmese refugees. I have no idea what the specifics of their story is on how they made their way to our church, but they are here.

It's been a rough few weeks, mainly for the language barrier. After kids are dismissed from regular service for children's chapel, all the kids join us. We do our same liturgical-esque program, and all of us adults wonder how much they are ingesting mainly because there is a huge language barrier. If you ask one of the kids their name, they will answer. But they won't talk to you. One of the boys, about ten, speaks English very well, and we all depend on him a lot.

After chapel the kids are dismissed to classrooms. The Burmese children don't join in at all. I usually find them playing in the bathroom or wandering halls. More than once I have steered them into a class where they are "caught" and must stay. All of us adults agree, if they are more than visitors at our church, which seems to be the case, then we need to have the same expectations of them as we do of our children. That is, they need to join us for our church programs, and that includes Sunday school. They can't be allowed to just wander the halls, and hide in the bathrooms. The one objection we hear to that is "but the language barrier". Well, us parents agree you learn a language by hearing it spoken, and what better place than Sunday School. Many of us are hall monitors finding the kids and getting them into classrooms.

It's been an interesting frustration. They want to be there. We want them there, but the barriers seem vast and hard to bridge. But it seems all of us, the family included, are determined to make it work.

And a new language was formed yesterday at church. It's the language of feeling special.

We had children's chapel. Then our pastor's wife assigned all the parts all the kids are accustomed to having for our Christmas pageant. We asked if they wanted to have parts, all their little brown eyes lit up and bobbed their heads in unison. All of the sudden, these distant little creatures weren't so distant.

Then, the job all of us moms hate--doling out the costumes, making sure they fit, and putting names on them for performance day. Our church has an impressive costume closet.

I was in charge of angels. Having both my kids as angels in the past, I know the costumes are recycled white sheets, cut to size, with collars put in, and tinsel stapled to them. From a distance, they look cute, up close, well, the tinsel has lost it's lustre.

As I asked each girl (and I fitted four or five little Burmese girls in angel costumes, the rest were shepherds off with another parent) if they wanted to be angels, their eyes lit up. I helped them take off their little jackets and slid the costumes over their heads making sure the length fit them. You would have thought I put a princess crown on them.

Their faces were just magical. They felt special. They felt included. They felt pretty. What a humbling privilege for me.

The youngest of the group is a little two year old girl, and ummmm....well, she is a two year old girl with tons of older siblings. Need I say more? I put her in the smallest shepherd costume we had and she just strutted around like I put a king's robe on her.

Then, after assigning costumes, the children were taken off to practice songs. Two other mom's and I cleaned up the rest of the costumes, organized, hung up hangers, etc. We were all just tingly with warm fuzzies. Suddenly, these special kids, who have lived a whole lifetime in their short years, suddenly see us as friends. The distrust was gone this special morning.

We also listened to the practice. Each one of those kids from this family was singing, with vim and vigor, in their voice. Not just the blank stare that we normally see while singing hymns. It wasn't just feeling special putting on a tinsel laden costume, it was the feeling that they will be included in our production, and they feel special because of it.

In case you can't tell, I am beyond excited to share with you our annual Christmas pageant pictures coming up in a few weeks. I hope you get to see their faces as I saw them yesterday.