Ducks and Turkeys and Chicks Oh MY!

 

Nathaniel and I had a lovely 3-day getaway to the Red River Gorge, and this is a preview of that, but I am going to save more of those pictures for future posts.  On the way home Thursday, we stopped at Rural King and bought 4 ducklings and 2 turkey poults.

This time, the poultry purchase was all Nathaniel's fault, but I gotta say, those ducklings are the cutest things.  (That is a turkey poult on the left of the ducklings.)

We separated them from the chicks in the brooder for just two nights, because there isn't enough room for 23 meat chicks, 8 regular chicks, 2 poults, and 4 ducklings.  So now the meat birds are enjoying a spacious covered area outdoors:

And the rest are enjoying much more room to move in the brooder:

20 Years

 Nathaniel and I celebrated 20 years on Wednesday.

Lydia took this picture of us on Easter.  We didn't actually get many pictures on Easter, but here are a few more:

The boys had already changed after Mass, but they wanted into the photos:

And Panther was very interested in the laundry basket full of empty eggs:

Holy Saturday

 We had a busy and fun Holy Saturday.  First, we did some chores and dyed some eggs.

I was also cooking for Easter, but we had decided to enjoy the day outside, so we headed to the state park with the three younger kids.  We enjoyed a game of mini golf:

We were the only ones on the course!  Another family came just as we were finishing up.

Then, we headed to the woods for a hike.

I've missed walking in the woods.  It was a really beautiful day.

I also got a new toy.  I uploaded a plant identifier app, so I now know that this is a Celandine poppy:

It likes partial sun to full shade, so I will have to see if I can get some for our yard.

We also visited a playground and ate at a restaurant on the river, so we had a full, fun afternoon.  We got back home in time for Elijah and me to get ready for Easter Vigil.  

Book Review - The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

 

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart takes the reader back in time to the famous Faberge workshop at the time just before the Russian Revolution.  As a teen, I was fascinated by the history of Russia during the reign of the last tsar, and I was happy to see so much accurate historical detail in this novel.  This novel splits between the early 1900s Russia and a modern-day treasure hunt for a Faberge egg.  I really enjoyed the historic timeline, and I feel that the voice in that timeline was much more authentic and compelling.  The modern timeline had the action and adventure of a treasure hunt, but the character development was lacking.  It kept me interested, but I felt something missing in the modern part.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this book very much.  I also advise anyone interested to google pictures of the real Faberge Imperial eggs.  The author did a wonderful job of describing them,but seeing them is a real treat!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Revell, but all opinions are my own.

Crazy Chicken Lady

 Surprise, surprise, we got new chicks:

Lydia and I went to Tractor Supply today and were excited to buy 32 chicks.  Most (24) are Cornish Cross, which we will harvest in 6-8 weeks for meat.  However, we also got four each of Cinnamon pullets and straight-run Barred Rocks.  They are all so cute and fuzzy.

While we were there, we bought me a new shirt:

In other news, I was very excited to get my prize box from Catholic Answers:

I have got plenty of reading material for quite some time!

The Many Faces of Charles

Lydia spent a great deal of time with Charles at the cabin, and she had a little photo shoot with him.

 

Ultimate Egg Hunt

 We went to my parents' cabin along with my brother's and sister's families for the ultimate egg hunt:

Elijah hid the eggs for both hunts.  The first hunt was for the younger kids (accompanied by a big kid helper).

The second hunt was for the teens.  All of them had a great time.

We also dyed eggs.

And sometimes, you just need a break:

We celebrated March birthdays, including these two:

And this little lady recently turned one:

The "bye bye side" was a huge hit, even when it wasn't moving:

We had a great weekend!

March Harvest Totals

 Carrots - 4

Eggs - 215