If we as parents don't take a stand in shepherding our children's hearts ..

Who will?

I was particularly inspired this week by an elderly lady named Phyllis Burgess. She was attacked by G*y activists during their protest of the Prop. 8 amendment in California.

Alone, she peacefully held a cross and was there to support traditional marriage values. While there, she was spit on, verbally and physically assaulted, her cross was grabbed and stomped on breaking it into pieces, and this continued until the police were called. The elderly lady maintained a serene and non-combative attitude during the entire ordeal.

If this had been reversed and happened to one of the G*y activists (ie, being attacked, spit on etc..) by a conservative group can you imagine the headlines? As far as I can tell, this story has not been widely publicized.

As I tucked our children in bed this evening it really struck me how difficult it will be for them to maintain the values we hold true as our nation drifts further and further from Christ. It appears there is tolerance for almost anything except for conservative and or Christian viewpoints in many facets of our daily lives.

If almost 70 year old Phyllis Burgess can take a stand, so can I.

*A special note to Haley concerning her link here - Haley you have given us a very small glimpse of what Phyllis Burgess must have gone through that day and really triggered my thoughts above when I said goodnight to our children. For that, I am grateful.*

You can watch part of what happened to Phyllis Burgess HERE. It is well worth the few minutes it takes to view it. Be sure to watch the last half of the video as this is where you see her in great jeopardy.

Please consider passing on the link to the Burgess story. Thank you friends.

a pRiNcEsS tUrNs 4 ! ~ NEW UPDATE BELOW ~

Four years ago at 8:47 a.m. November 13, 2004 our telephone rang and as a daughter, I was suddenly hearing the words I have dreaded to hear my entire life. It was my Mom and she told me the rescue squad was at their home, and my Dad wasn't breathing. I had just visited with him only hours earlier the previous evening. One minute he was laughing and with us on this earth, and without any warning, he was ushered into the arms of his Heavenly Father.

That very same mid autumn morning four years ago, unbeknownst to me at the time, our daughter had just been born in a Province called Hubei in central China. 3 days later as we were preparing for my Dad's funeral she was found on a step under an overhang at a nursing home wrapped in a white blanket with blue animals printed on it.

We don't believe this was all by 'chance'. Rather, we know the intricate threads that brought our lives together almost one year later were woven by the hands of a loving and merciful God.

Elizabeth, our prayer is that God will always be the wind beneath YOUR wings.
Happy Birthday number 4 our precious sweetheart.

UPDATE:
Thank all of you so much for your kind wishes for our E'beth. She had a wonderful day enjoying simple little things like a new hair style and painted fingernails with glitter on them :)

We allowed her to choose a restaurant for dinner and of course she chose a Chinese one! They even put a candle in a piece of 3 milk cake :) and sang Happy Birthday to her in Mandarin!

.. after dinner the princess was escorted by her Daddy and brother to a play while Mommy dashed home with the balloons and cake for a "surprise" party. She opened her one special gift which was a cradle for her "Papa" (aka Panda). I wish I had the opening on tape. She squealed as if we had given her a bar of gold. Our precious sweetheart was SO appreciative of her present.

We are blessed.

(Welcome to those visitors from "Kelly's Korner"!)

Ever wonder what it's like to look out your window and see a moose or two staring back at you?

Spend ye nary another second wondering - . HERE it is!

Pretty clever costume IMHO :)

I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree..

Daughter of Military soldier mocked by teacher in class for her Presidential choice

Here are our tax dollars at work in a public school system in N.C. How would you feel if happened to your child on either side of the political spectrum? Also note the teachers incorrect grammar and use of the English language during her "lecture"..

Click Here to watch what happened.

UPDATE: Michelle Obama 'interviews' private schools for her daughters in Washington D.C.
Are the public schools our tax dollars fund not good enough for his own family? What about the people that would like to send their child to a private/ Christian school but aren't as financially able as Mr. and Mrs. Barack Obama?

Here is the info on the school the Obama children attend in Chicago:

(CNSNews.com) – As chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC) from 1995 to 2001, Barack Obama helped distribute $49.2 million to help improve Chicago’s public schools, a task for the CAC that two studies showed had little or no impact on improving public education.

Despite his work to improve Chicago’s public schools, the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee sends his two daughters to the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School, a prestigious private school in Chicago – and he opposes school vouchers, which would allow parents to send their kids to the school of their choice.

Tuition for the Chicago Lab School where Obama’s daughters attend is $18,492 a year for grades 1-4, the grades Obama’s daughters attend. The tuition climbs to $20,286 a year for grades 5-8, and $21,480 a year for grades 9-12, according to the school’s Web site.

“That’s not unusual. Loads of people opposed to school choice send their own kids to private school,” said Dick Komer, senior litigation attorney for the Institute for Justice, which supports school vouchers.

“Wealthy people like Obama have school choice,” Komer told CNSNews.com. “This is garden variety hypocrisy.”
----
Thank you Amy C. for bringing up the subject of the Obama daughters private education in the comment section under this post.

whoooa

a 41 foot wave that almost killed the surfer.

Do America's new young voters understand Socialism and Communism?

Do they just think it's a 'cool thing'? They are about to find out what its all about.

For example, talk to physicians and surgeons who practice in US cities that border Canada. Their practices are thriving in a major part by Canadians who have a 'government managed health care system' (lets cut the flack and call it what it is, a Socialistic health care program).. Canadians are crossing into the USA with cash in hand, to obtain lifesaving procedures such as bypass surgery etc.. It is either that, or die in many cases. The wait time in Canada for many potential lifesaving surgeries or procedures is like playing "Russian roulette" with your very life.

Anyone for major surgery in a Chinese hospital?

Oh, and BTW, Got a 401 (k) plan? Think you'll be able to keep it...??? Click Here.

Change

as defined by America's #1 most Liberal senator and his V.P. choice of the nations 3rd most Liberal.

May God grant mercy on our nation that has turned so away from Him.

You can decide..

The following is from a Hillary Clinton supporter who obtained a paid staff position on the Obama campaign. She exposes some of the internal 'strategy' of the Obama campaign.

------------------------------------
Here is the text/ post from http://hillbuzz.wordpress.com #18 on Oct. 27
---------------------------------
Ok, I want to clear my conscious a little. Hopefully you could make a blog post to help some fellow clinton supporters out.

I work for a campaign and can’t wait for this week to be over.

I was doing it for a job. I was not a fan of any candidate but over time grew to love HRC.

The internal campaign idea is to twist, distort, humiliate and finally dispirit you.

We pay people and organize people to go to all the online sites and “play the part of a clinton or mccain supporter who just switched our support for obama”

We do this to stifle your motivation and to destroy your confidence.
We did this the whole primary and it worked.

Sprinkle in mass vote confusion and it becomes bewildering. Most people lose patience and just give up on their support of a candidate and decide to just block out tv, news, websites, etc.

This surprisingly has had a huge suppressing movement and vote turnout issues.

Next, we infiltrate all the blogs and all the youtube videos and overwhelm the voting, the comments, etc. All to continue this appearance of overwhelming world support.
People makes posts to the effect that the world has “gone mad”
Thats the intention. To make you feel stressed and crazy and feel like the world is ending.

We have also had quite a hand in skewing many many polls, some we couldn’t control as much as we would have liked. But many we have spoiled over. Just enough to make real clear politics look scarey to a mccain supporter. Its worked, alough the goal was to appear 13-15 points ahead.
see, the results have been working. People tend to support a winner, go with the flow, become “sheeple”

The polls are roughly 3-5 points in favor of Barack. Thats due to our inflation of the polls and pulling in the sheeple.

Our donors, are the same people who finance the MSM. Their interests are tied, Barack then tends to come across as teflon. Nothing sticks. And trust, there were meetings with Fox news. The goal was to blunt them as much as possible. Watch Bill Oreilly he has become much more diplomatic and “fair and balanced” and soft. Its because he wants to retain the #1 spot on cable news and to do that he has to have access to the Obama campaign and we worked hard at stringing him a long and keeping him soft for an interview swap. It worked and now he is anticipating more access. So he is playing it still soft.
This is why nothing sticks.

The operation is massive, the goal is to paint a picture that is that of a winner, regardless of the results.

There is no true inauguration draft or true grant park construction going on. There will be a party, but we are boasting beyond the truth to make it seem like the election is wrapped up.

Our goal is to continue to make you lose your moral. We worked hard at persuasion and paying off and timing and playing the right political numbers to get key republican endorsements to make it seem even more like it was over and the world was coming to an end for you all.

There is a huge staff of people working around the clock, watching every site, blogs, etc. We flood these sites. We have had a goal to overwhelm.

The truth is here. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

I am saying this because I know HRC was better for the country, and now realize this. I was too late by the time I connected to her. To me Barack was just a cool young dude that seemed like a star. I didn’t know him or his policies, but now I understand more than I care to and I realize his interests are more for him, and the DNC and all working like puppets with dean. I always thought a president wanted the better good for the country. The end result I see is everyone dependent on the government, this means more and more people voting for the DNC. This means the future is forever altered. I don’t see this as america, so I am now supporting John Mccain.

Sarah Palin is a huge threat, and our campaign has feared her like you can’t imagine. If it seems unfair how she has been treated, well its because she has had a team working round the clock to make her look like a fool.
this is a big conspiracy and I am so shocked that its not realized.

We released a little blurb the other day that the Obama campaign was already working on reelection and now putting our efforts towards 2012. This was to make it seem like it was above us to continue caring about 2008. Trust me, its a lie. David is very smart, but its a sticky ugly not very truthful kind of intelligence.
Its not over yet, but I think the machine is working. And its a hill to climb.

I will be quitting my post on nov 5th and my vote will be for John Mccain. Fortunately, my position has been a marketing position and I don’t feel I had any part of anything I would feel guilty for. But I look forward to getting out of this as the negativity and environment upsets me.
I wish you all well, and goodluck.
--------

Han Li Rong. A day never forgotten

She came to us with a simple yellow bottle tied around her neck with a blue string, her layered clothing, and the Panda we had sent in a care package. Elizabeth and all her worldly possessions were suddenly in my arms 3 years ago.

One of our wonderful travel mates had a beautiful post about how brave these little girls are. I have to agree totally. They are taken from everything they have ever known (good and bad) and suddenly find themselves in the arms of total strangers who look different, smell different, talk different, and hold them differently.

Elizabeth my sweetheart, words simply won't come this evening as I reflect on how far you have come and how proud we are of you. We love you with all our hearts and you have made our home complete. My prayer is that I can be the Mother that God wants me to be .. for you. Your Daddy and I will always be here for you until God calls us home. Even in the absence of an earthly Mother and Father you might face someday (hopefully a very long time from now), we will teach you that you have a Heavenly Father that wants to live in your heart forever.

Wuhan Hubei PRC

And we were off. We boarded the plane that would take us to Elizabeths province and even though it was a reasonably short flight, it seemed like eternity. We landed and followed the mass of parents to be and other travel companions through the Wuhan airport terminal to meet up with our new guide/s. There he stood with the only English words in sight printed in bold red letters, so he would have been hard to miss.

Once again, after retrieving our luggage (keep in mind 22+ families packed for a +/- 3-4 week adoption trip to a foreign country) so you can imagine this was no small feat! :) .. we were ushered off to another large nice AIR CONDITIONED bus. Our new guide was amazing. She had ice cold bottled water for all of us and proceeded to give us information on the schedule from here on out. She handed each family updates on their children which included feeding schedules, sleeping schedules, and other small bits of info about our children. It was like Christmas Eve. Each little tiny bit of information was like a peek under the tree. We learned if all went well, the babies would be brought to our hotel the next morning. We would attempt to get a good nights rest (yeah right..) and be 'ready' to go early in the a.m.


It was about an hours ride from the airport to our hotel in downtown Wuhan, so all this information was given during the ride. What a blurr! Wuhan was a very different city than what we had just left. Situated along the Yangtze River, Wuhan is a more industrial area, I would say much like Detroit or Pittsburg, only MUCH more polluted. I think if you ask anyone in our travel group, they would agree the pollution is indescribable. What we thought was fog, was smog. It never seemed to leave. We were glued to the window of the bus as we traversed the city and attempted to soak the culture in despite the barrier of the bus walls between us.

We later learned that parts of the Yangtze River are so polluted that there are cities along it where the men won't choose a wife that was born there due to the very high cancer rates (and thinking she will die young). I can believe this after seeing some of these areas as we passed. Very sad.

Finally, our big bus chugged into the Wuhan White Rose Hotel parking lot and we all piled out marching behind Johanna (our new guide) like little soldiers. She was our security blanket for the next week. She truly knew her stuff. Obviously she had been there done this before.


We took the elevator to the 18th floor and stepped out, turned the corner, walked down the hallway, found our room, opened the door, and saw the crib. Suddenly, we knew this was it. It was real.

to be continued..

Madame Pearl

Three years ago tonight Dave and I were walking the streets of Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong enjoying a brief few days of R + R before traveling to Wuhan Hubei ( central China) to be united with our new daughter. We were excited, nervous, exhausted from the trip over and trying to soak each moment in.

Each night we would walk back to our incredible hotel room and you could take a hot bath in the glass walled bathroom and look out over the Hong Kong skyline. It was magnificent. We were so glad to have arrived a few days early as it gave us both a chance to unwind and reflect on the changes and new directions our lives were about to take. Not that we hadn't fully understood the magnitude of the journey, but with all the preparations leading up to traveling and making arrangements for our son John during our trip across the globe, there simply wasn't much time to really absorb it. Now, we were only days away from meeting our Elizabeth.

We were to meet up with our travel group of approx. 22 families who were also adopting and the night before we were to unite, I came down with a very nasty bug. I was running a high fever, coughing, vomiting, sore throat, etc.. Dave went out on foot in an attempt to find some cough syrup that was strong enough to muffle it during our flight into mainland China. He succeeded and came back with some pretty putrid stuff called "Madame Pearls". After I took 2 tablespoons, I felt I needed to see the ingredients. On 2nd thought, I decided not to find out :)





Finally the day arrived where we were to have our luggage in the hallway and our guide gathered all 22 families and their travel companions together, piled us on a big bus and took us back to the Hong Kong airport. Our flight would depart from Hong Kong to Wuhan Hubei in the mid morning hours putting us at the destination where we would get Elizabeth sometime that afternoon.

There were indescribable anticipations.

To be continued.

Did you know?

I started to entitle this post "The Audacity of Obama", but have decided to keep this simple and to the point.

Did you know...

Mr. Barack Obama is a very articulate, well dressed, poised individual.

He also :

sponsored S.CON.RES.53: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that any effort to impose photo identification requirements for voting should be rejected.

In 1999 Obama was the only Illinois State Senator to vote against a bill barring early release for (criminal) sex offenders.

He voted against filtering pornography on school and library computers and he voted for sex education for kindergarten children through the 5th grade.

Also, in 2001, Obama voted “present” on a bill to keep pornographic book and video stores and strip clubs from setting up within 1,000 feet of schools and churches.

He voted "present" 129 times instead of a yes or no during his term in Illinois. You won't be able to do this in the Oval office.

The Born Alive Infant Protection Act, was legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who "mistakenly" survive an abortion. Obama spoke against the legislation in 2001 and 2002 and single-handedly defeated it in committee in 2003.

A friend stood in Obama’s path and said, “Senator, we are going to pass Born Alive here in Illinois this year.”

Obama smiled smoothly and agreed, “I think you will,” adding, “I would have voted for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois had it been worded the same as the federal bill. I think that’s the position the Democrats should take.”

There’s just one thing he forgot to mention: Obama had stopped his committee from adding the federal wording.

With Obama no longer in the Illinois state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.

Mr. Barack Obama was ranked our nations #1 most Liberal Senator this past year.

Mr. Joe Biden was ranked # 3.

A simple click to see if there are any registered Sex Offenders in YOUR neighborhood

HERE'S a link where you simply enter your zip code and you will see a map of offenders that might be in your neighborhood, or nearby. With Halloween just around the corner, this is a great site to bookmark. You can also click on the offense and see the details. I was shocked at the number of these "individuals" that came up on the map surrounding our vicinity.

Any ideas on how to clean off spider droppings?

No Mom, please don't kill it! So, John named it Zig Zag (quite clever IMHO). We watched Zig Zag for several weeks. Zig had babies and that was it. Mom and Dad decided it was time to break the cycle of life. Now we have spider poop that is nearly impossible to get off our window sill. Any experts on this topic out there?

tagged

One of our incredible travel mates who happened to have the hotel room right next to us when we traveled to China for Elizabeth has tagged me. Patricia had to put up with lots of crying and noise from our room since we didn't have air conditioning and it was at times over 90 degrees inside even with our window open as far as it would go! Thanks Patricia for still being our friends despite the loss of sleep we probably caused you in China!

Ok, seven random/ weird facts..
1. I love starbucks pike place coffee after it sits in the pot and gets cold.
2. I try to call my Mom each day, several times a day sometimes just to say hello.
3. My husband and I went to the same high school during the same years, but didn't meet until college w/ 26,000 students.
4. Clara Barton (founder of the Red Cross) was my Great Great Grandmother's cousin.
5. My Dad played football with Buzz Aldrin (2nd man on the moon) and then went on to be invited to the Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns training camps.
6. God blessed us immeasurably with a son seven years ago despite many odds.
7. God blessed us a 2nd time with a beautiful daughter from China 3 years ago.

There are so many wonderful blogs out there, so please consider yourself tagged to all of you who have read this far! :)

Ever heard of

Beautiful Downtown Short Pump is just outside Richmond Va. and when I lived there many moons ago it was simply a small little gas station/ general store at the end of a 2 lane road just before you hopped on Interstate 64. Now, it is one of the 'thriving' areas of our country despite the current housing situation and realestate is actually doing very well. You would think you were in a suburb of Washington D.C. Well, actually I guess it is these days.

Anyway, last year we stopped at the Short Pump Town Center. Don't let the name fool you, it a very impressive outdoor mall with many interesting things to do besides shop if you know what I mean. One of the things John and E'beth fell in love with was a little house just their size. It was a simply constructed miniature version of what I remembered the old Short Pump gas station/ store to look like. The children had a ball with the pint sized furniture, desk, old adding machine, table etc.. E'beth was the waitress, and John was the customer. They played in this sweet little store for over an hour.

Wish we could build one in the back yard ;)

One of my favorite places to 'be' is Williamsburg Va. I love everything about it. I love the history, the architecture, the ambiance, etc.. A few years ago, Dave's sister and her husband moved there just minutes away from the historic area. Elizabeth doesn't remember much about it from our visit last year, but this year it will be so exciting to watch the wonder in little eyes as we 'step back in time'.

John is most excited about THIS though :)

Set aside Liberal vs. Conservative for a moment

I find this image and many more like this taken recently very disturbing. You obviously notice that Mr. Obama refused to honor the US Flag Code while everyone else depicted is respectful. Wouldn't you think someone running for the highest office in our nation would welcome this chance to honor our nation in such a way? According to Obama's campaign staff he "sometimes" salutes the flag and sometimes he doesn't... WHAT?? If prior to the election he is this disrespectful to our nation, its founding, and those that gave their lives for our freedom, what comes after if he is elected?

Then, you have THIS going on in Ohio which is a key state.

I'm hooked.

I found this idea for hanging all the backpack stuff I usually hang on my kitchen cab. knobs.. I think this might be a better option :) The thought is a big first initial letter for each child and the "M" will be mine (for Mommy). Above each hook, I'm going to tweak the idea a bit and put a single black and white portrait of each student.

Mommy will have her picture up as well as I still have SO much to learn!

This answers lots of questions..

Here is an article from the New York Times dated September 30, 1999. How did our country get into this economic mess in the first place? - Here's the reason.

Got these from friends B+B. Had to share...

Fabulous Middle Eastern Eggplant dip

This dip is easy to prepare, delicious and has only about 40 calories per 1/4 cup. What more could you ask? It can be served warm or cold. It's yummy served with baked whole wheat pita chips. (from CookingLight.com)
Here IT is:
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs) peeled and chopped
1 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste.
Combine first 5 ingredients, making sure everything is evenly coated in the olive oil. Cook on baking sheet for one hour at 350 or until roasted.
Transfer veggies into food processor and add tomato paste, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth (about 1 minute)

please pray for this family

Their 14 yr. old daughter went out for a walk about 4:45 in the afternoon and was tragically murdered.

A Smile Award!

What a surprise! My first blog award :)

Thank you from an amazing "Mom of Many" who has an incredible China adoption story I followed for quite some time. Her blog, a place called simplicity is a continuation of where they left off after returning from China with their most adorable little boy Isaiah. If you have a chance, you should take some time and read their journey to Isaiah and see how God moved mountains to get this little guy home. Now, at a time when most families would be winding down their family size, this Mom and Dad are continuing to grow theirs! Next, it is a girl! Read all about it HERE!
Ketchikan, here we come :) :)

So, now, I can pass on the honor to 5 others who make me smile. There are so many wonderful blogs and sites that would be deserving of this award it is difficult to pick, but my thoughts keep going back to several families that have shown incredible positive attitudes and patience with the ever so lengthening wait to adopt from China. Keeping this in mind, here are my picks:
<<<<>>>>
I'm going out on a limb here and giving Angie at my hearts giving birth TWO smile awards!!. Angie smiles when she cries. Her eyes say it all when she speaks of her daughter she hasn't met yet. Angie is a single Mom adopting from China and when she started her process, the wait was in the single digits. Needless to say, she has been very saddened by the wait, but always tries to find the positive in the process. Her desire to follow God's timing and not her own is chronicled in her journal HERE. Be sure to check out her wonderful pictures of the Harvest Moon Fest. as she lights the lantern and releases it. Hang in there Angie. F.R.O.G.

Then, there is Michael. I hope he reads this :)... Michael and Starla have an imminent referral from China and very sadly, Starla's Mother passed away this month. Once again Michael and Starla have waited a VERY long time for their daughter. Michael has been journaling his thoughts as a first time Dad-to-be, throughout the process and I know they will make a wonderful set of parents to this little girl they are just about to meet!! Hey, I just might pretend these awards are candy and give Michael and Starla TWO of them as well!! :) :) Pop over and share their excitement as they are as Michael puts is "within striking range" of their referral for Mikayla!!

Lastly, so many are familiar with Lori @ a journey to our daughter. Her blog is filled with yummy and beautiful things. I could spend MUCH time :) simply scrolling through the archives looking at her beautiful pictures and celebrating life with her handsome boys. Lori also has been swept up in this waiting process for their little girl. Her patience and attitude to not let the grass grow under her feet during all this time is truly inspirational.

Okay ladies (and gentleman:) this is what you need to do....
Here are the Smile Award rules:
1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times--we are all human).
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.

Questions from friend Rebecca on Raising free range chickens

I have a problem. Maybe some of you will have advice...

For the past five months, I’ve been raising a flock of free-range chickens. But recently, I’m afraid I’ve run into a snag. And I can’t find an answer to this anywhere on the internet, so I decided to post.

My endeavor began two years ago when I bought six acres of virgin mountain land. Near the center of my land, I built an organic shelter for my new flock of Rhode Island Reds. This shelter was located near a stream, under an old willow tree, and it was woven from hickory branches and hemp rope. It is now occupied by twenty-two chickens and a lute player from Asheville who lulls my birds to sleep each night with old Celtic ballads and recitations of Rumi.

The initial stages of my project went well. I lost four birds to coyotes and five to a wandering spirit (fences are so confining). That leaves me with my aforementioned twenty-two fat hens, who have recently reached physical and emotional maturity. That’s where I’m stuck.

After reading numerous testimonies of homeschool nutrititional vim and vigor, I bought a Champion juicer. I mean, if people can juice a bean sprout... can you fathom the power of a fresh-juiced chicken! ‘Talk about a massive shot of all-natural breakfast protein!

So, everything it went OK for the first two birds. Sure, the kids complained a little, wanting their soy flour and Nubian goat milk smoothies back -- but I put down the law. On my third bird, however, I think I got a feather or something caught in the motor. Because now my kitchen smells like burnt hair whenever I hit “start.” And the Champion customer department service keeps hanging up on me whenever I call. So, first off, do any of you know of a local juicer-repair-shop? If you do, let me know.

Anyway, so I had no idea what I was going to do with all of these chickens. But suddenly, in the middle of teaching third-grade math one day, Eureka! My grinder!!!! Chicken flour!! It’s like a protein and a carb all at once! I could make chicken flour bread, and cover two food groups at once!

So I’m writing to see if any of you have tried this with your grinders? Any pros? Any cons? Do you take off the beaks or leave them in tact for roughage?

Thanks,

Bec

REPLIES:

(Kingsport, TN) wrote
at 8:25am on August 17th, 2008
I find that by adding the feathers, you get a lighter bread. The beak and talons had much needed bulk and can help with bowel movements, but makes bread much harder to get to rise and add stoo much weight to biscuits. However, in the future, you may want to try breeds other than Reds since they are prone to wandering.

I hope this helps.
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(Dallas / Fort Worth, TX) wrote
at 4:19pm on August 17th, 2008
you guys are hilarious!
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(Kingsport, TN) wrote
at 6:30pm on August 17th, 2008
I've only tried this when I raised my Chocobos, but it just might work. I use the beaks and feathers as a protein supplement for my dragon. He loves it and it's a lot cheaper than dear meat. Plus, it's a little more humane. Since kids can be dragon-like, it might work for them. You can add it to Slim Fast, too, which makes for a grainier shake, but the fiber packs a real punch, if you know what I mean. Hope that helps.
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(Kingsport, TN) wrote
at 10:37pm on August 17th, 2008
just take the chicken by the throat..ring it as hard as you can..place in a large pot..depending onthe size of the bird. place in scalding hot water...the feathers will fall off...wear some yellow dish gloves..the good ones..spend the extra buck! and voila!! chicken ala carte!!! dismember the body parts..soak overnight in buttermilk..coat lightly in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper..heat oil..( olive, of course ) and fry it!!! make sure to cover the pan so ya' don't splatter the grease..or..you know there is an Earthfare coming to J.C...maybe one day when you're picking up your chirren from PA you could just stop in and buy some "free range" boneless, skinless..chicks!! Not as much to clean up..While your at it you might want to stop by barnes and noble and pick up a copy of Marcia Ramsland Simplify Your Life...Speaking of boarding schools did you by any chance attend Rabun Gap??? It was grreat seeing you today..and where did the cozy green hoody come from?? might need to copy you!! J
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Teronya wrote
at 4:35am on August 18th, 2008
Having had some experience with chickens who have successfully reached emotional and physical maturity, I would suggest purchasing a rooster. A rooster will reach physical maturity fairly quickly, and yet apparently emotional maturity is not a requirement for the job he has to perform. One rooster is all you need for a hen house. In fact, you may find that twenty-two chickens are not enough for one rooster. This leads to a great math problem you can use for your class....
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Rebecca wrote
at 6:00am on August 18th, 2008
Thanks for all the help, girls. It means a lot.

These suggestions are great, and I'm considering all of them except for the rooster. (We are using the Gary Ezzo method of hen rearing, and so our hens frolic sweetly by day, innocent in the ways and burdens of the world. When the time comes for our hens to start a new family, we plan to invite a limited number of classically=trained roosters into our home for a supervised courting model that will determine whether or not there is a philosophical unity between our broods. We have little tolerance for the hanky panky that happens in most adolescent hen houses.)

Meanwhile, today I'm making a healthful batch of Rhode Island Red chunk au natural yogurt with free-range Nubian goat milk. I'm making a double=batch, so if anyone wants to try some, let me know.


(Kingsport, TN) wrote
at 8:38am on August 18th, 2008
"Meanwhile, today I'm making a healthful batch of Rhode Island Red chunk au natural yogurt with free-range Nubian goat milk. I'm making a double=batch, so if anyone wants to try some, let me know." WE'LL BE RIGHT OVER! YUMMY!
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(Kentucky) wrote
at 3:03pm on August 18th, 2008
I personally would just put on the wolf costume and eat them raw. It’s the way nature intended and killing your meal in your own mouth is the only true way to start a complete natural digestive process. You should first eat the entrails as they are the easiest to access and definitely the highest in flavor and aroma. Once the bird starts to cool you could move to the legs or breast but I usually find myself just chewing on the head or a claw for several minutes looking around at any potential thieves of my meal. Once I feel like the proverbial coast is clear I will take the largest portion of my bird, in mouth, and run into the tall grasses so I can enjoy it in peace. Once you have filled your belly you can then return to your offspring and regurgitate a portion into each of their mouths giving them the advantage of predigested fresh chicken. You can return to the carcass for several days and eat off it if you like or just roll in it so that your neighbors won't bother it.
That's my favorite recipie, you can add spices where you want but this is a family staple in our house!
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Remember

RUDD??
Well, Rudd's Mom has just updated her site that chronicles the first months at home from Taiwan. This is another post from this family that you don't want to miss reading! Her honesty, realism, and humor make this one of the most touching adoption stories I've ever followed.
Click Here

'We are under attack' & homebirth?..Part 2

Before beginning this post, I want to say everyone has their own opinions and desires as far as birth plans go. We were very blessed to have a Certified nurse midwife that had delivered hundreds of babies at a birthing facility come to our home and be with us the entire time. In addition to this, we had full Physician back up in the event of an emergency and our Pediatrician on call should the need arise. We know every one won't agree with the way we chose to do this, but looking back, I would do it all over as long as there were no complications- especially down to the final hours :) Read on if you wish..

With that preface, has it REALLY been seven years since...

The following week it seemed the nation was glued to television. American flags hung abundantly and proudly almost everywhere you would look. Restaurants were almost vacant as people were staying in watching the latest developments on the terror attacks and it seemed like the only traffic on the roads were pizza delivery drivers. :)

We were also watching and waiting as our nation slowly began to emerge from the shock and horror of events days earlier. As my own due date grew closer and closer we were once again joyous beyond words and at the same time saddened at the mounting loss of life for so many families.

Dave and I had a busy day on the Monday after 9/11, and finally got to bed around 1:00 a.m. or so. About an hour later, I felt what I can only describe as a 'tumble' and then..

Reaching over to wake Dave, I knew there was no turning back. This day we were going to have our baby. Or so we thought.

Looking back we should have gone back to bed and attempt sleep before my contractions REALLY got strong, but silly us, we were beyond excited and there was no way we would have been able to sleep...then.

The wee early morning arrived, daylight poured into our room with the birthing pool right beside my side of the bed. It was time to start filling it. We waited until as much after 8 a.m. as possible to call our nurse mid-wife hoping she was getting some very good zzzzz's since she would be needed at full steam later in the day!

My Mom had prepared a turkey dinner for everyone (but me) that would be at our home and she arrived around noon with turkey and trimmings in tow. It looked and smelled delish! We had fresh roses on the table from friends and my house was probably as cleaner than it ever has been since ;) !

Contractions were VERY strong beginning late morning and continued every few minutes. Throughout the day, I kept thinking I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on, but Dave remained right beside me and was my right arm, my strength and I know if it weren't for him I would have crumbled.

Backing up a bit, I made Dave promise (prior to going into labor) that if I told him I couldn't do it, to IGNORE ME, tell me it's getting closer etc etc,, but to tune me out when I would say it.. WELL, he did. As the hours clicked on, soon I had been in labor for 26 hours with very little progress. At one point I begged him to take me to the hospital, but according to the nurse midwife (who was amazingly wonderful), the baby was doing great, and Dave kept telling me "everything is ok"... hummm he wasn't the one in labor without DRUGS at this point!!! Bless his heart, he was so exhausted around 3 a.m. he fell asleep and I told our nurse midwife to get a few hours sleep and I would call them if I needed something.

I had to keep walking all those hours as per the instructions of our Nurse Midwife. We were attempting to make the most out of each contraction and when I laid down they weren't as "productive".

I think our baby knew I told everyone to go rest because just as they dozed off, I thought I was going to die. Seriously, I thought, ok God, this is it. I'm going to die tonight right here in my bathroom while people are sleeping 15 feet away. I was ready to flush the Bradley Method birthing book down the toilet.. (just kidding it would have stopped it up and I needed it- the toilet that is. ;)

So, I yelled for Dave. After what seemed like eternity, he stumbled in, mumbled something and then walked back to bed. He was so exhausted he was not coherent. He later remembered walking into the bathroom and turning around to go back to bed, but the poor guy was beyond tired. He had been pushing on my back for the past 12 hours with all his strength to combat back labor and his arms were shaking. ... There I sat.

Finally I was able to arouse Dave enough to convince him I really did WANT! to go to the hospital and begged him to take me. I think it was the tears that convinced him this time..(Remember I made him SWEAR that if I asked that, to IGNORE me, so he didn't know what to do at this point since the baby's heart beat was good etc..

So I was a wimp.

After 32 hours of labor at home without any pain intervention, I went to the hospital and was only 5 cm's. A few tricks up the Dr's sleeve, and one epidural, pit drip, and who knows what else later, we were into our 3rd (YEP THIRD day) of labor!!

I can say it was the third day because 49.5 hours after feeling that 'tumble' and contractions beginning, almost 70 hours of virtually no sleep, our beautiful son entered the world at 5:04 A.M. September 19, 2001 with the highest apgar score. (No C-Section!) When the Dr. told me our baby was perfect, I wasn't the least bit surprised. God had granted us an incredible peace through out the entire 9 months and we were basking in the happiest moments of our entire lives.

(ok ladies, look at your watch right now, remember the time, then, see how long 49.5 hours really can be!! LOL LOL)

John David has brought us such great joy, joy we almost missed as we had been married 19 years before his birth. We praise God daily for both our blessings and marvel in the miracle of this new life in the midst of massive loss of life unfolding all around us during that terrible week for our nation.

Happy 7th birthday our precious John. Daddy and I are so incredibly proud of you and who you are.

Mostly, we are proud of your heart and who you have now chosen to reign in it.

I love you so much.
Mom.

"We are under attack" - Part 1

Those were the words our nation heard seven years ago today as we watched in horror the events unfolding in those early morning hours of September 11, 2001. Who would have thought the day before that so many people would perish, lives changed, and our entire country would be frozen in such a terrible way? It was a beautiful day in the Eastern US. A sunny almost autumn morning.

I was one week shy of exactly 9 months pregnant. We were planning a home birth complete with an incredible birthing pool we set up beside our bed. The day before our Nurse Mid-wife told us she thought our baby was in a breech position. I was up getting ready for an ultra sound to confirm all this, and flipped the T.V. on while getting ready. The screen showed smoke coming from the first WTC building and it was thought a tourist helicopter or private plane had crashed into it by accident.

I called to Dave (who was downstairs making me a high protein soy milk shake :) and told him to come upstairs to see this. Just as he arrived at the bedroom door (with shake in hand) the second plane crashed into the other WTC building. This is when we all knew .. it wasn't an accident.

Glued to the television I continued to get ready for our trip to the Doctor. Our appointment time arrived and as we made our way down the highway, there was an eerie lack of traffic. The mall was closed. Schools were let out. Everyone just wanted to be home with their families, watch, and wait.

Sure enough, the ultrasound confirmed our baby was breech. The Dr. felt we should go ahead and be admitted for a delivery via C- section. Well, those that know me know that those words didn't exactly set well with me and I already had researched the possibilities, not to mention the world turmoil that was going on all around us. Only in an emergency would I have agreed to be admitted on THIS day!

It so happened the office had a peri- natologist on staff and she agreed to talk to me right then. By this time, thanks to hormones, and the world events that morning, I was almost in tears. What happened next was nothing short of Gods hand.

I walked into her office area and she came over and took my hand in hers. She told me that if I was willing, she would attempt an external version. This is a procedure where they manually attempt to turn (flip) the baby by pressing the on the abdomen from the outside. There were risks however as I was only days from my due date and there needed to be adequate amniotic fluid etc.. She told us to go home and think it over. If we decided we wanted to try this, it would be set for the next morning.

We left.

Upon arriving home we continued to watch the catestrophic events and pray for our own situation. I scoured the internet for other homeopathic ways to combat a breech position. So, don't laugh here,, I ended up spending the evening as upside down as possible with a bag of frozen peas placed stratigically in an attempt to get the baby to 'flip' naturally. Yep. Supposidly the baby will try to 'get away' from something cold and go the oposite direction. Suffice it to say, it didn't work.

The next morning we went in for an external version. To say I was nervous would be a vast understatement and risks?, yes, I understood the risks, but knew there were equally as many risks to an automatic C-section so off we went.

It worked. Amazingly the odds were so against it. Praise God, it worked. My WONDERFUL Doctor hugged me and told me to go home and wait for things to happen the 'regular' way!

We went home that evening with such joy in our own lives all the while watching as our nation would be changed forever.

continued in part 2..

Thank you for the amazing week Curt, Jen and Emily!

What a whirlwind week!! We yanked John (1st grade) out of school and headed North. Its about a 10 hour drive and we were only on the road for about 40 minutes until Elizabeth started the "are we almost there yet?" questions! OUCH! A day and few dozen stops later we arrived at our destination.

Each year after Labor Day we love to visit this beautiful (yes it's really beautiful :) area of the country as the crowds have gone, the weather is still nice, and it has almost become a rite of passage in a way to end our Summers. We enjoyed such a fun week with our family and were treated to a traditional Lobster Fest thanks to Cousin Jen! More on this including pictures of the live lobsters last moments later! lol.

Our travel home was hampered by a nasty little head wind from the remains of hana. Roads were flooded and the rain was so torrential that at times we were only at a crawl. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't happened on the I 95 corridor from Philadelphia to the Washington D.C. area. We had much fun with all the potty breaks on the interstate under those conditions :) :)

Back on the home front, John returned home from school and I could hardly pick up his backpack! Inside we had books for missed homework from the previous week. We knew this was part of the 'deal', so we got to work right away. Tonight, after almost 5 hours of school papers, reading, etc.. I can say I am so proud of our sweet boy! He stuck with it, and finished almost an entire weeks worth of work today.

Now, off to the attic for our Fall decorations!