EGGS!

 Wednesday morning, we were packing and getting ready to head to my in-laws when I found this lovely egg.  It was in the nesting box, right where it should be, and we were so excited to get our first egg.  When we came home yesterday, four more eggs were waiting for us!  You can tell which ones they are in the carton below, because first eggs are typically small:

We were surprised that they were that big, though.  We had expected them to be smaller at first.  We're not sure which hen(s) are laying, but Nathaniel suspected the Rhode Island Red was the first one, from her behavior.  This morning when I went to let the chickens out, one of the Barred Rock hens was sittting in the nesting box and didn't move out with the others, so I assume she's laying.  Fun, fun!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  The boys went with their grandparents to cut down a tree:

 Lydia is usually such a Grandpa's girl, and she still is, but this weekend she gave Grandma a lot of attention, too:

 We played Mexican Train Dominoes.  This picture cracks me up because it looks like Nathaniel and Ben are concentrating so hard!

Another Easy Thanksgiving Craft

Last Thursday, the boys went to Afterschool Adventures at the library and came home with a cute craft:

It's hard to tell, but they took little pumpkins with the stem area hollowed out, and glued a candle there.  Then the kids glued little berries, leaves, twine, etc to decorate it.  The boys were thrilled with it, and they will make a great centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table!

In other news, my passport came!!  I'm very excited about our anniversary trip to Italy in March.  I never thought I'd be thankful that Nathaniel earns so many miles traveling for work.  

I've been very busy with my etsy shop lately, and I'm excited that I've been able to add to the adoption fund.  Sales have been picking up for Christmas, and I've been adding new things.  It's been fun.  I'm also working on some Christmas gifts, and I'm still painting my kitchen cabinets white.  So much to do!  And we leave tomorrow for my inlaws for Thanksgiving.  Whew!  It's busy here, but going well.  (I really wanted to have the cabinets done before Thanksgiving, but I there's no way that can happen, because even if I got the painting all done, we need to special order two hinges to replace the broken ones, and then spray paint all of the cabinets' hinges.  So hopefully, that will all happen in the next couple of weeks.)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

P.S. We've been intentionally working on talking about how many blessings we have and what we're thankful for lately, and so if you get a chance to talk to the kids, be sure and ask what they're thankful for.  Sometimes it's the usual (family, friends, dog, etc) and sometimes it's funny and surprising.

Turkey Craft

Gobble, Gobble!  This cute turkey was made by my 3 kids (ages 2, 7, and 8).  It is an easy craft idea that came from my wonderful sister.  I cut out 2 cardboard circles and let the kids glue fresh leaves to them.  (Note: Don't use crinkly leaves.  They should still be pliable.)  Make sure to glue some sticking off the cardboard for the tailfeathers.  Then I glued the small circle onto the big circle and let it dry.  Next, the boys cut out eyes, feet, waddle, and beak from cardstock (construction paper would work, too) and Lydia glued them on.  Wha-la, one easy Thanksgiving decoration.  I've thought about taping a piece of string to the back so he can be hung on the wall, but right now he looks pretty good just lounging on the mantle, sorta leaning against the wall.

Cabin Fun

Check out how big the log pile is!  The boys loved playing on it.

Here Lydia is on "her" tree.  She walked up and down it over and over.

Fishing with Pa in the wind.  Elijah learned how to use an open-face reel and caught a large mouth bass.

Chili and Misc

Well, Nathaniel's back for a few days.  The kids are so happy.  I've been busy sewing and adding to my etsy shop in between managing everything else. 

Yesterday it was rainy and windy....and a perfect day for chili!  I used to always make my mom's chili recipe (with my Grandmommy's elbow macaroni thrown in) but we've moved so much that finding the brand of chili mix she uses is not always possible.  So I've tweaked it and made up my own, which is very similar to Mom's but also adds some more vegetables (which no one around here has noticed!). 
So here it is, basically:
2 c pinto beans (mine were cooked from dried, but canned works just as well)
2 cans red beans
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1/2 of a bell pepper, minced (Lydia and I ate the other half raw.  Use red if you want it to blend in better.)
1 c pumpkin puree (No, really, no one will taste it!)
1 c tomato sauce
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
about 1 1/2 c elbow macaroni
1 T taco seasoning
2 T chili powder

Brown the ground beef and onion in the bottom of your soup pot.  Drain if necessary.  Add spices, garlic, pepper, pumpkin, and tomato sauce and stir well.   Then add beans and water, about 3 cups, but more if you like your chili less thick.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, for any time from 10 minutes to all day.  (If you go for a long time, you'll have to occassionally add more water.)  About 15 minutes before serving, increase heat to high and add a cup or two of water and the macaroni.  Serve when the macaroni is cooked.  For really good chili, add shredded sharp cheddar cheese to each bowl.  Yum!
Notes:
I make my own taco seasoning and keep it in a container in the pantry, but you can use ready-made just as easily. 
I use wheat elbow macaroni.
My pumpkin puree is homemade, but again, canned works great.  I often have an extra cup because like the store bought kind, I usually have 2 c per container and I often use 1 c for pumpkin muffins and then have 1 c leftover.  Pumpkin really is a powerhouse of nutrients, so I like to put it in things.
I always make my chili really thick, so add more water if you want it a little more soup-like.
You could easily use the whole bell pepper, it's just that Lydia loves raw bell peppers right now.

Chickens

Well, I think I owe you all a chicken update. Right now we have 11. 1 rooster we are keeping, 9 hens, and 1 black chicken that I'm afraid is a rooster, but I keep hoping.




This is the barred rock rooster we're keeping.

 




The one on the left is our only Rhode Island Red.  On the right is an Ameruacana.

 



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These rings have been a bit hit.

 



Buff orpingtons






This is the black one I'm afraid is a rooster.  See his tail?  Roosters' tails develop big feathers that droop.  Hens don't.  Also, green feathers are usually present in roosters, not hens. 

 


And one last Halloween picture, because they look so cute!