Guinea Hen and Babies

I just wanted to share these pictuers of our Guinea hen and her babies. she hatched out about 1 1/2 weeks ago. They are doing very well. The babies somtimes do not do well in rainy weather but we so far have not had a rain since they were born.



Both the mom and dad guineas take care of the babys. When I throw out food for them and our chickens to eat in the chicken yard , the dad guinea chashes away the chickens and then they all eat in peace! And thats what you can see here in these pictuers. They have the feed all to them selves and are enjoying it!!

I did not know how many we had because of them always running around so quickly and was so hard to count. But now in this pictuer you can count them. It looks like theres 17. Its so neat to see them running around in the yard! You have to keep your distance though. The mom and dad are very protective and will chase at you if you get to close to the babies. They got poor Sarah one day, and now she makes sure she keep s a good distacne away!! If they start her way, she starts hollering!! They have chased at the boys a few time too.

garden news

Our garden is going very good this year. We have not planted our own garden though but are sharing my brothers. So its smaller and less for me to keep up with. I knew with having a baby early tis spring ( Feb. 4th) that I would not want a big garden to take care of. I knew I would be extra busy with the new baby and school!

I just picked our first yellow squash today! I love yellow squash, either boiled or fryed,its yummy! We are eating fresh cucmbers, cabbage, brocile, swish chard,califlower, and carrots now too. I noticed today that the green beans are blooming now, so before we know it we will have fresh green beans as well.

Also just a few days ago the boys and I harvested the onions and garlic. Both did very well. I have spread both out on a covered porch to dry better and then will hang them up. The onions don't keep to well for very long, but I just have enough that I will use up soon. For the garlic it keeps farily well till fall time, in which at that time I plant some for the next year . This last winter my Dad peeled the rest of the garlic that we hadn't planted or used up yet at that time and put them in a zip-lock bag to freeze. It sure is handy. I just grab out what I need for what I am cooking and its already to use! And of course they kept for much longer than they would have other wise. I will defiently do that again with my garlic this coming winter.

The potatoes should also be ready soon too. Always so glad to have fresh new potatoes. So yummy!!

For my readers out side of Texas you will notice that we harvest here so much ealier than other places, epesially my home place of Alberta, Canada. Thats because we plant so much ealier. We usually plant our early things like greens, onions, and cabbage in late Janaury, and the potatoes, beets ,carrots, and other such things about the middle of Febuary. Our last chanch for frost here is usully about Easter time. This year we were alittle later with the potatoes because of the weather.. We had snow here on Feb. 11th! About 7 in. We have not had a snow here like that in several years. It was so nice!! The kids had a blast , and I got lots of snow pictures!! But the snow only lasted parts of 2 days.

Most of my canning starts the middle of June and I am usually all done by middle of July, with tomatoes and making picles the last things going. I cann and freeze alot of vegtables. Its alot of work at th time, but so handy to have after its all done!!!

We could plant a fall garden ( cool weather vegtables) but I am always so happy to have the garden over for the summmer that I am not eager to plant any thing eles till the next spring. And besides I start the kids school by end of July or early August so I really do not have time for any more garden work. I start thier school early so as to finesh up early in the spring when I start to get busy in the garden. Though this year I still have one son still doing school.

Kids and Chores

Its a very lovely morning here. Has not got hot for the day yet! Its 72F right now at 8:00 a.m, Hope it stays that way for awhile.

Still have 2 young ones in bed, so its not too busy around here yet. Laundrys going and breaksfast dishes done, atleast untill the others eat!! So got a mommnet to sit and use the commputer. Yea!! Don't get alot of those mommentts, so really got to take avandage of it when I do!!

I just recenly did somthing differnet concerning chores or atleast with the dishes. Yes, no atoumatic dish whaser around here, we have the really ones!!! I had been having the boys helping with the dishes for a long time now, but was not constant about it, just once in awhile when I was really needing help to get them done fast. I would wash and they would rinse, or ocsssionly I would have my oldest wash somtimes to free to me up. I also would have all the boys help with cleaning off of the table after meals. What a big help that is!!

Anyway what I just esabilished for the dishes is a set routine with someone in charge of each meal. I do the breakfast dishes and, I put Clyaton my 7 year old in charge of lunch dishes. We all help clean up the table and have everything ready to wash, and then he washes and rinses himself . He knows its his job and he has been doing it with out a complaint!! Thats great for him because he does tend to complain somtimes on work, espesially when he thinks he might be doing more than the others!
And Nathan I have in charge of the supper dishes and we do the same for him too, help clean the table and get everything all ready to wash. I can not belive how well this is working!! They are so coppertive about it . I guess it has to do with knowing excatly whats expected of them. No arguing about whos turn it is to wash or nothing.

Soon I will get my 5 year old to take over the breakfast dishes!!! Just kidding! But he can be huge help also, and I do some times have him help rinse dishes as well as 2 1/2 year old Sarah too!! She loves it! Of course when shes done, I have to mop the floor!!

The children have other chorses they help with tooo, ones they know is theres to do, and other I ask them to help with when needed. With the other chores I do not have a good set routine with them so don't they always go quite as smooth. I will see if I can come up with some kind of plan for them also.

I am so happy with the dishes though!! If some one ask me if we have a dish washer, I will answer, "Yes, I sure do. I know the norm is one, but I have 3 dish washers, and two more being recurted"!!
Well I better get off and see what all needs to be done on this lovely morning!!!

Ya''ll have great day!!!! Mae

Chick in a shoe!

I thought this was too cute!! Sarah put her chick in her shoe and then proudly carried it around!! It was just content as ever!

Its too bad I was not able to put all the chick pictuers in one post, but I had problems putting more than one pictuer on at a time.

Another cute chick!!

Big sister Sarah was so proud of her chick, she just had to share it with little sis, Anna. Little Anna hardly knows its there though!!

Cute chick!!

Here is a cute pictuer of Sarah and a baby chick. She just loves these chicks, carrys them every where!! Just had to share this photo here!

Enjoy, Mae

Why Sabbath? ( Its a love thing)

My family and I rest and worship on the 7th Day. And I just wanted to share why it is we use that day for that purpose, instead of Sunday which is the well noted "Lord's Day", and which most chuches use.The resaon is very simple and staright forward. You do not need to go deep in scripture to find it, nor try to find oddles of verses on the Sabbath Day to prove its right.(though there is oodles)

Its very simple, its one of the 10 commandments.
" Remmeber the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the 7th day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in 6 days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exdos 20: 8-11

We defently believe that we are to keep the 10 commandments today. And we belive no commandment is any less in value: there isn't any that is not necessary. They are all ment to be kept. The commanmnets are kept out of our Love for God. They are not a burden but a joy!!

"If ye love me, keep my commanments". John 14:15

" By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grevious." 1 John 5: 2-3

" And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself to walk even as he walked." 1 John : 3-6
To truely love God we have to have 100 percent obedieance. And you really can't have one with out the other, LOVE and OBEDIENCE go hand in hand. You can not truely OEBY unless you turely LOVE, and you can not truely LOVE if you do not truely OBEY. Our love to God is showed in our obedience to Him.
Do not take my word on this, look it up for your self. Get your concordance out and look up scrpituers on the Sabbath Day, commanments, love, and so on. Its there, and He is calling you! He wants your whole heart, your whole devotion, your 100 percent love and obedience!!! He wants you!!
Have a most awesome day!! In Him, Mae