Welcome to the Farm??

So I am going to choose to share this story with you through the lens that God created me as an empathetic creature.  I am hoping in doing this I will look less crazy and more just like someone who needs to hone her gifting.


Ok, so this is how it started. 
I was born and I loved animals.  Did you know that I once cared for a dead robin for a whole day? Yup I did such a good job that the next morning when I went to check on him he was gone.  My mom told me he had flown home...(good one mom).
Flash forward 25 years.
I am now a photographer and I had a great opportunity to use some baby chickens as a part of a photo session for a family that owns a chicken farm.  It was so fun. (watch for them on my Twisted Lily Blog in the next few days...sooo cute!!)

Anyway at the end of the session these little chick models were homeless.  They couldn't go back into the  barns and risk cross contaminating the barns with whatever 'wee beasties' they picked up in the real world. In other words they were gonna die. Approximately 6 weeks ahead of schedule.

I shouldn't have let it get to me but I just felt for the little homeless chicks.  One short conversation later I was the proud? mom of 6 baby chicks.As I drove home with them sliding around in the cardboard box next to me - I tried to make a plan.

Actually I am still working on it. Mostly its a day by day thing.


Here are somethings I have learned in my 4 days as a chicken owner.


*Puppies laying next to chicks are NOT trying to be cute - they are waiting for the opportune moment to eat them. 
*Respectively if you act fast enough you can grab a chick out of a dogs mouth with no apparent damage other than a mad chick and disappointed dog.
*Neighbours will follow your lead and 'rescue' small baby birds and leave them in your care (Short version of how we acquired Quacker Jack our duck)
*If you live in a small enough town you can literally walk into a convenience store and walk out with a huge bag of chicken feed - and a slurpee.
*Chickens take over your life when you are so afraid of something happening to them you let them sleep in your en suite bathroom every night.


After reading that last one I realized I might just be crazy and need some help. Ah well.

My Littlest Sis...

This past weekend my littlest sis graduated from high school.  It was a great event and such a treat to watch her hit this milestone and celebrate her with friends and family. With that in mind I thought it would be cool to share a little about this girl with all of you.

Megs is one of those people that has a really sweet warm spirit with an extra dose of playful mischievousness thrown in. It makes her a great friend and excellent sister!  We are 12 years apart so growing up I mostly remember a little girl that was as cute as a button and a little on the quiet side but I had left the house before I really got to know the girl that I know now.

I love the change in the in the sibling relationship as you get older.  Once I realized that I couldn't always look at her as that little girl  - I found a friendship that has grown over the last few years.  Meighan has always been a creative being.  She has redesigned her room more times than I can count and I am always amazed how she can pull together colours and textures with such continuity.  Decorating to me at most consists of a coat of paint and often far less - so this skill never ceases to amaze me. lol

In the past few years she has also taken to painting and her work is so beautiful. I love that her style reflects something of herself.  Its always beautiful but some of her images are also strong and striking.  Her strength has been born in adversity.  She wasn't even in her teens yet when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  Thankfully we live in a country and time that allows her to manage it but it is not an easy burden to carry day in and out.  Although to talk with her you would never know it.  I think its the grace with which she handles it that impresses me the most.  When she could be whining and moping she takes it in stride.  Obviously she is human and has good and bad days but she has more good days than bad and is the type of person that will probably make other peoples day better by just being a part of it.
All of this said mostly I am just thankful to have a friend and sister like her.  We can be goofy and laugh about stupid things and then the next moment we can have a great conversation.  She has helped me with my house and kids so much that I have made a vow to myself that when she reaches this stage of life - I will be there to help!!! lol I am excited to watch her move forward and chase her dreams and figure out who she is and where she is going.  I love ya Megs!!

Of Bullies...

You know when you are young and imagine your adult life - the thought that bullies will still be around may not have crossed your mind.  I know that my young self thought that the days of bullies would be far behind me.


But we grow up and life gets complicated and when a bully stands in front of you as an adult - it can make life that much more tricky. Now instead of teachers and parents there to intervene - your on your own. Of course there are always the police and the legal system but it is easy to say 'it is just not that bad'...until one day it is and now what! The choice to stand up for your self goes beyond sticking your tongue out or pushing back. Hopefully as adults 'we use our words' and begin to create healthier boundaries for ourselves and our families.  In a perfect world the bully would be like, 'oh, wow, I had no idea that my behaviour was so offensive or my actions were having such undesirable consequences' LOL 
Ya right hey! If only it were that easy.  Instead of calming things down it often inflames things even further.  Its hard to watch scenarios like this one because you can feel so powerless. Its hard watching bully's lie and manipulate authority so they look like the victim.
I honestly don't know how things work out from this point; life is not a movie. Things don't work out picture perfect, neat and tidy.  What gives me hope is that although man may not see the whole picture and may not be just - God does and is.


Ps 71:4 "Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man"


Ps 22:8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

FYI...

So just an FYI...I am going to try to share my I heart Faces photos and such over on my Twisted Lily blog, in an effort to keep the photo 'stuff' there and the 'me' stuff here. I just thought I would give it a go - so feel free to pop on over there to check things out.


And if you really want to make my day become a follower!

Bring on the Warmth and Forget the Mess!

I am so happy to finally be sitting outside in shorts. Its a balmy 22 degrees so we have the kiddy pool out and the kids are splashing away. I willingly embraced a full fledged war with dandelions (they have over taken our yard) because they actually are giving me permission to neglect laundry and dishes for the moment.
Nicest part is, I still get to feel productive because I mowed the lawn, finished some gardening and transplanted a bunch of strawberry plants into pots this morning.
The changing of seasons is such a good reminder that things move forward and that we do too  - even when we can't see it. At the Beth Moore conference I remember her saying something along the lines that sometimes we can't see God's Hand moving because it's too close.  I remember the image bringing much comfort in a season where I was constantly waiting for God to show up.  To realize and remember that He is there  - its a knowledge that I know needs to sink deeper into my heart.


So yes, here we are now, welcoming spring and finding myself thankful for dandelions and the unseen hand that has carries us through the seasons - seen and unseen.

I was a fly on the wall...

I happened to overhear the following conversation between my daughter (4) and her friend big T (6)


Big T - " I am so strong that the other day I picked up my whole house and threw it into the ocean...but it didn't sink because I flew really fast and put a boat under it.


Me -  "Oh wow, Big T, you must be a super hero."


Big T - "Ya, I even have super speed" (proceeds to run across the living room) " But actually it only works outside"


Eliana - "I am really fast (starts running all around the living room as fast as she can) See how fast I can run!!"


Then this is what gave me the giggles...


Eliana - "And I am really strong too - see I can lift this..chair! (as she stuggles to lift a kitchen chair 2 inches off the ground....lol)


I thought it was so adorable that Eliana was taking the whole conversation so literally...and I am pretty sure she really does think that Big T is a super hero.

I Heart Faces - Pets