This Week I have Learned

This week I have learned to look at the definition of commitment differently.  I thought that a committed. long-term,  monogamous relationship between two people would be when these two people love and care about each other,  share secrets and personal information together, make it known  they are together, make plans and goals together and peruse these plans and goals together,  support each other emotionally, be proud of each other and not be ashamed to seen in public with each other, be romantically faithful  both physically and emotionally,  and accept and love each other’s families at his or her own.   To me, this is not the same as marriage.  In marriage, the couple would share the same home, bed, income and expenses, have a legal marriage certificate --- in the eyes of the church and the public, and be responsible for each other’s debts.  What I found out this week is that a couple is only in a relationship  when both of them are ready for that relationship to go public on Facebook and withstand all comments, positive and negative.  If  both parties of the relationship are not ready to go public on Facebook, then they may not  be in a committed, long-term, monogamous,relationship between two people. LOL What do you think? 

Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Cute Overload with Odds and Ends

It is so fun to see the different color and shape of our chicken eggs.  I am displaying 3 eggs in the photo.  We gathered them in the last couple of days from one breed of chickens - the Easter Egger hens we raised.  The hens are the same age, but like humans they grow and mature at different rates.  The egg in the middle is the normal egg size. 

I thought I would give you a couple of visuals for the week.  This morning the hens ate a treat of meal worms.

My cute visual for the week is our little boy, Yang.  He is so darn cute. 

He is missing some teeth, so his tongue hangs out most of the time.  LOL

Cute Overload!

Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Benifit for Bldg 8 Families

Some of the families at Southlake Village lost all of their possessions and had to move from his or her home due to a stand off with a criminal.   The criminal hid from police in an apartment of a resident he knew.  After 32 hours of stand off with the police, he lost his life.  On Sunday, six bands played to help raise money in support of these families.  The following pictures are from the event.  Thank you for viewing my blog.  If you wish to support the families, I will see that you have an address if you contact me.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Canning Decor

I didn't can or put up food for a few years.  When I get back into the swing of it, things have changed.  The decorated bands and lids are no more----for the most part.  Some are still out there, but they are always on back order or sold out.  I can decorate my own, but I prefer to purchase them already done.  I have made the pretty little bonnet type covers in the past.  You probably remember the type since they were so popular in the 80's.  They were circles of fabric with the lace around the edge and elastic in a smaller circle inside of the large circle so it would fit around the bottom of the head of the jar.  Of course, there had to be a bow.  I wanted something different this year.  I played around a little and came up with the following ideas.  I am sure you can come up with much better ideas.

Rose buttons on rat tail satin ribbon.

Hello Kitty fabric cover with bakers twine bow.

I took an idea from Julie Marie
(http://idyllhours.blogspot.com) and used ripped fabric ties. 

 Fancy Ribbon.

Hand spun wool tie.

Beads of fruit slices strung on thin cotton yarn.

Apple slice beads strung on thin cotton yarn.

More ideas to come............................Blessings to all!  Dawnie

Have You Ever.............

Have you ever experienced the following problem?

Almost daily I am left with one egg in the hen house that has a hole in it.  I thought there may be a nail somewhere, but there isn't anything causing this unless one of the hens is using her beak.  The egg isn't always in the same nest either.   As you see, the egg is not eaten, just poked on one end.  Have you ever experienced this and if so, what was your cause and outcome?

Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

New This Week

Only my chicken run has a basketball and a bowling ball.  (Compliments of the kids.)

We have 6 chicks.  Some from an order on line, some from one farmer, and some from another farmer.  This chicken has become mama hen to them and she calls them to her where they hang out with her and keep safe and warm. 

My son is holding Berger King like a parrot.  I guess she thinks she is one.  She is as pretty as one!

Peach Raspberry Pie Filling---Yum!

More Pot Holders this week.  I have been canning peaches. 

New pot holder.

My favorite of the newly crocheted pot holders.

I like the flower-centered pot holders.

Thanks for viewing! 

In case you were wondering, my bird cage at the top right hand side of my blog disappeared.  I guess I will have to change my design again.  

I hope you and yours have a blessed day!  Dawnie

Yoder Small Animal Auction

Pure Innocence

The auctioneer is Mennonite.  I got a kick out of the auctioneer wearing a light pink shirt and his helper had a pale peach shirt on.  Real men do wear pink.  LOL

G at the auction

G watching the auction

G watching the auction

Free Kittens

I don't know why, but I enjoy going to auctions.  I like to see what others have to sell.  I like to watch the people and see how much they will bid on something they want, even if it is well over priced.  Years ago we went to auctions and we laughed about people purchasing out of date food for more than new food would sell for in the store.  The bidding war takes hold of people and they have to outbid the other person, even if the item is not desirable to anyone else.......   Yoder is an Amish community and I especially enjoy watching the children.  I took G with me and it was his first auction.  He is 22 years old and it is about time he attended an auction.  At first he complained about the noise of the animals, having to wait for the auction to start, and how boring it was.  Then when it started and he figured out what was going on, he enjoyed himself.  I gave him money to pay for something he wanted and he decided to bid on a hen and it totally slipped his mind when the hen came up to bid.   During the auction, G tapped the shoulder of the auctioneer and stopped him while he was trying to sell a cage of chickens, just to ask a question about what the auctioneer was selling.  I wish more people would be less intimidated by others and ask more questions.  After the auction we went to the local restaurant to eat.  They are always packed, but the food has gone down hill.  I remember when......LOL.  Well, I do remember when the restaurant was on the other side of the road and from scratch meant from scratch.  Gravy and pudding mixes were not used.  Friday, the roll was dry, I had lumps in my coconut pie because they had not stirred it well when it was mixed on the stove and the meat tasted like it had been in the refrigerator unwrapped for days picking up all of the other flavors and lacking the meat flavors.  The mashed potatoes and gravy were good, but it tasted sweet.  Do people add sugar to potatoes and gravy? I have eaten steamed veggies at a restaurant and they added a small amount of sugar and butter to them.  Could it be that way with potatoes and gravy?   I am really not that particular but for two of us, we spent over $30.00 without the tip.  Of course when they ask you how the food was, there were two lines to pay and people waiting to go in and you would feel like a schmuck if you really told them.  What are you to do?   I couldn't tell them how I felt with people there waiting to go in.  What would you do?  I didn't rave about the food being good, but I didn't say it was awful.  I said in an understated way, "It was OK."   I did enjoy the auction, and it was not a total bust.  The scenery going to Yoder was lovely and the whether was perfect.  I did buy some great meat and cheese from the shop that sells Yoder Meats and gifts.  Since I am complaining about the food, I should get all of the complaints off my chest.  (I am not PMSing so get that out of your mind.)  G does not take baths on a regular basis. It is a funky odor and not a regular arm pit or poo odor.  I did not realize he had such an odor until we got to the auction.  I thought when we were outside, the smell would not be so noticeable.  Of course he had to stand next to me, call me mom and hug on me.  I do love G as a child, even though he is not my child.  He does live at our home and has been her a year.  I have discussed hygiene with him before and we tell him to take a shower if he wants to go with the family when we go out.  I didn't take the other two kids with me this time because D was caught lying and I thought it would be a good outing for G and me.  Little did I know.  LOL  I did tell him after the auction that the farmers smelled better than he did.  I think that went over his head.  How was your week?   Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie