Chicken Ranchers!

I feel like a big city girl who got thrown sideways and headlong into a country life! I still work in the city, and I still do city girl things, like go to Starbucks (even though my husband's coffee is better) and go shopping, but lately, I've been feeling quite a bit like a redneck! (Now, for those of you who are offended by my use of the word "redneck," you need to know that it's a term of endearment around here!)

We started off the day shopping at the most redneck store there is - Bass Pro Shop
Here's a silly picture of my friend Beth, posing a la "redneck" for a goofy photo :)

Also, upping the redneck factor even more than usual, we're new "parents" to four hens - a Black Australorp, a Speckled Sussex, and two Rhode Island Reds. One girl had even gotten her leg wrapped in some string from a feed bag, thanks to a gnarly wind that blew all day yesterday, and in the process, blew feed bags all over the place - but we managed to get her untangled and she's good as new! JP even wrangled the hens out of the dog kennel we transported them in and into their coop. I'm proud!

I'm gonna have to get some work boots, by the way. If I'm gonna be a ranch girl, I can't be having chicken poo (among other things) all over my nice shoes!

So how did we become, as my husband likes to call us, "Chicken Ranchers"? Well, we were gifted an old chicken coop by a friend of ours who has a farm - she owns many sheep, goats, and alpaca, which are fiber animals - and I'm a shareholder. (If you're a crafty person and love fiber for spinning or want to support a fabulous cause, or just love handspun yarn, check it out - Fancy Fibers Farm. You can be a shareholder too!) Anyway, Mary had too many hens... well, you can read about it here! This coop was well-loved, so JP and myself painted it and replaced a few parts, added some new chicken wire, and it's as good as new! And perfect for our little brood!

We brought the girls home and promptly got them all settled in their new home. I did check on them at around 9pm and they were roosting in their nests, snuggled safe inside their little A-frame home!

JP and I love our little homestead here and are excited that sometime in the near future (maybe sooner, maybe later) we'll have fresh eggs to eat and share! I hope someday we'll have a garden, but that might be a stretch for me!

After all that was said and done, we got cleaned up and ready for a night on the town - my friend's little orchestra class was performing at a holiday event, and we went to cheer them on and eat some good grub! We had a great time!

Just a day in the life of Chicken Ranchers!

House Hunting 2/26/12

Today, we started up our home search once again. JP and I are looking for something to accommodate our family of three, our business, and hopefully a handful of chickens and/or goats. We ended up with some really good prospects. There was one house we especially loved. Two of them were a no-go.

This is a beautiful little home. The home itself was really nicely taken care of on the inside and out. The floors matched throughout, and it looked freshly painted. We only noticed a bit of a slope in the flooring in the kitchen and in one bedroom, but didn't see any wall cracks or cracked brick or slab on the outside - good! The acre of property was completely fenced in, with an electric fence even for the three large dogs. Also a bonus! The floorplan was slightly odd - we could tell they had done some massive remodeling - with a shower and potty in the laundry room (making the "second" bathroom), but with a cute pocket door, made it really nice. The other bathroom had a marble-topped counter - gorgeous! The only blemish we noticed was where the owners have cut into the wall to make room for this super-nice stainless fridge - and covered the hole they cut with either thin plywood or paneling. Bummer. Fortunately, it wasn't noticeable. Out in the back, there was a very nice, unique looking, purple martin birdhouse. We could tell this family loved plants and birds, as there were many nice house plants and outside was accommodated for the birds and the other animals. The yard was nicely manicured and everything was very tidy inside. This would have been the perfect house - except that someone had smoked inside! :( Ugh! Both of our allergies have been acting up all afternoon afterwards. The owners did make a concerted effort to cover up the smell, and the only really strong smells were in the living room/kitchen and front bathroom, but it was too much for us. Major bummer there! Otherwise, a truly nice place!

Our second no-go of the day was this home.  We didn't even go inside. We pulled up, and the residents were clearly home, even though we were there within our allotted appointment time. Children were playing in the front yard (always a good sight to see), and a woman was walking from what I'll call the "livestock area" back to the house. The pictures on this listing make this look decent, but this place was a big mess on the outside. Tons of trash everywhere, from furniture to toys to actual garbage. There were six vehicles parked in the drive (which was all dirt - no pavement anywhere). The house itself didn't look too bad in the photos, but on one side, the skirt is completely gone. The photos of inside the house don't look bad, but after seeing the house we had just come from, we decided we didn't even need to look - there was too much outside the house we'd have to fix for it to be worth our while.

The house we're making an offer on, obviously we won't post here. But keep your fingers crossed for us! We are hopeful that this is *the* one! :)

Until next time,

BP and JP

On the other side of crazy...

Have you ever heard about some of the crazy things Christians do in the name of their faith? Here are some examples (written from my perspective):

- "I won't go to coffee with my coworker of the opposite sex, even if it's just a quick Starbucks run."

- A coworker (male, is having troubles with his wife) "That's not something I can help you with - you'll have to ask my husband."

- They invite you to their church - persistently.

- Won't watch certain movies (Hangover 2, for example)

- Don't listen to "normal" radio stations

This list could go on and on. Even as near as two years ago, I can remember having doubts about people like this. They weren't allowed to listen to their favorite radio station anymore? No more Metallica or Rob Zombie or _______________? (Insert whatever music you like here). I thought those "rules" were insane. I thought this Christianity thing was supposed to bring LIFE, not boredom.

But the harsh reality is that, for true Christians (those following Christ, not cultural christians), the perception of what LIFE is changes. It changes drastically (for the better) and I can say this because it's happened to me. I'm not talking about a little bit of change either. I'm talking about a complete, 180 degree turnaround. Those who have known me for a long time have seen it, and have even said to me "you've really changed." (I'm not sure that was intended to be a compliment, at the time, subject for another post.)

So now, when my alarm clock goes off in the morning, and the radio is on a common "Mix" radio station, and I hear the announcers talking about things like divorce, cheating, lying, teenager problems, etc., it makes my stomach churn. When I hear the songs they play.... "raise your glass" or "get drunk" or "party all night" or "sex" this or "hit" that.... etc.... I can't take it anymore. I can't listen to some of my favorite songs anymore (from the past). I guess I never realized what they were about- either that or I just didn't care. And I sure don't want my daughter listening to that. Or that culture will become just as ingrained in her as it did in me. If you don't believe me, watch a recent KidzBop commercial.

Let's just visit some of my favorite excerpts from these songs (sarcasm intended!)
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars
"Throw my hand in my pants." Really?

On the Floor by J.Lo
"Drink a little more" ... "Vodka and Coke" ...

Tonight, Tonight by Hot Chella Rae
"Girlfriend cheated on me... but whatever, it doesn't matter." and "Woke up with a strange tattoo, don't know how I got it..."

This is just scratching the surface. I used to think stuff like this was harmless - that the kids probably wouldn't notice and/or understand all this anyway, so why does it matter? But it does matter, and it matters because God has changed my heart.

The purpose of me writing all of this isn't to convert anybody today. But before this change started in me, I can remember looking at some of my Christian friends and thinking they were a little bit nuts for some of their choices. I suppose that I just felt it would be good to promote some understanding between those Christian and not.

Perhaps this is a topic of interest to me because of my background. For a long time, I really believed that I had to "be good" and "obey God's laws" if I wanted salvation, which is hard because I didn't even know what all of God's laws were (and I probably still don't). Fortunately, that isn't the case. Salvation is a free gift, and that's important - because no human person can overcome sin 100% of the time and be perfect - it's not possible. Thankfully, God took care of that by sacrificing his Son to cover all our sin.

For those of you that want the "meat" and not just the "potatoes" ....

I have been reading in Romans lately, and today specifically Romans Chapters 7-8. Chapter 7 talks about God's laws, and how they bring nothing but death because of sin. Let me try to explain this better, with some excerpts from Romans 7-8.

- Sin takes advantage of God's commandments, and deceives me. (Example: I am a sinful human (as we all are) and whenever I eat more than I should, instead of me being able to move on, I am crippled by guilt. This is because of sin.)

- The trouble isn't with God's holy law, but with me. I want to do what's right, but instead I do what's wrong anyway. The sin within me causes this.

- If sin controls you, it leads to death, but letting the Holy Spirit control you leads to life and peace.

Now here's where we say, "Okay, I'm supposed to let something ELSE control me? Yeah Right. I'm in control here." (Which is exactly what I used to say, and what I often revert to.) And that's when mature Christians will tell you that whether you think you're in control or not, you aren't. There are two choices: Either God's in control, or sin is in control.

And some good news:

You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living within you. (8:9). Well, how do you get the Spirit of God to live within you? Just ask him. Just say "God, I want to give my life to you. I want you to allow your Spirit to live in me, and be salt and light to others." Or something similar. Don't use my words, use your own!

One last thought.

"God causes everything to work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose for them." -Romans 8:28

I haven't quite figured out why yet, but God has called me to write posts like these. To me, I seemed like the unlikely candidate. But His ways are perfect, and He knows exactly what He's doing. :)