chickens – Homespun Sugar

Joy in Revival!

Michelle Underwood Gratitude, Homeschool January 1, 2022November 10, 2022authentic joy, chickens, happiness, Holding out for a Hero, identity, Lookin’ for Love, love, mammogram, paint, revival 0 Comment

January 1, 2022 – Saturday

Joy in Revival!

Chickens. They are all fun and games until the wind chill is -20 degrees. Enough said.

My favorite way to begin a new year is by listening to what the Lord is saying about the upcoming year. This year I hear Him saying revival and authentic joy! As we prepare to literally cover our parlor room walls in the color of “revival” I know this word is deeper than my paint can, and the year will reveal God’s truth one brush stroke at a time.

These words are timely. The results from my mammogram were sent to my inbox yesterday and are indicative for a follow-up. Ugh. Joy is put to the test right out of the gates!

What strikes me about joy is that it is a choice we make despite our circumstances. Joy is supernaturally empowered, and isn’t something we tap into by might or strength (Zech 4:6). Authentic joy is dependent on Jesus. Happiness is dependent on our circumstances. Happiness can be found in paint colors. When our identity is rooted in happiness it is shakable. When a child takes a sharpie to our newly painted walls, happiness crumbles. Authentic joy comes when our identity is firmly rooted in Christ and in His love for us. This my friends is joy unshakable. Its source? Love. Authentic joy is not dependent on “marker free” walls. If we wait for our circumstances (or our parlor room) to be perfect, we may find happiness, but it is fragile and fleeting. Joy on the other hand is a firm foundation that comes from Christ alone, and His deep love for us.

‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. (Zech 4:6, NKJV)

“Everyone wants to be happy; we make chasing this elusive ideal a lifelong pursuit: spending money, collecting things, and searching for new experiences. But if happiness depends on our circumstances, what happens when the toys rust, loved ones die, health deteriorates, money is stolen, and the party’s over? Often happiness flees and despair sets in. In contrast to happiness stands joy. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives – that he will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ.” (NIV Life Application Study Bible)

Joy and revival go hand-in-hand. The definition of revival is to return to life or to recover it (Websters 1828). Jesus came to give us life and to give it abundantly (John 10:10). When we start to live life abundantly through Christ – we start to experience revival. To revive our life, or to live life abundantly, we must first learn to tap into the joy that is found through Christ alone. His joy is our strength (Neh 8:10), and is exceedingly abundantly above anything we could ever ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).

Revive: To return to life; to recover life. (Websters 1828)

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV)

And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.” (Neh 8:10, AMP)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Eph 3:20, NKJV)

Our souls are longing for what our spirit knows is inherently ours. Joy is our birthright. As sons and daughters of the King – we have access to the abundance of Christ (Phil 4:19). Yet, so many of us are searching for authentic joy through happiness. Joy can only be found in discovering Jesus’ love for us, and that joy is the strength that revives us.

I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through Jesus Christ! (Phil 4:19, TPT)

As I am writing this, the song “Lookin’ for Love” by Johnny Lee is playing on repeat in my mind, while the Lord reminds me of my writing "Holding Out for a Hero". I invite you to join me there...

Lookin’ for Love (Johnny Lee, 1980)

CHORUS
I was lookin' for love in all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of
Hoping to find a friend and lover
I'll bless the day I discover
Another heart lookin' for love

VERSES
I spent a lifetime lookin' for you
Single bars and good time lovers were never true
Playing a fools game, hopin' to win
Tellin' those sweet lies and losin' again

I was alone then, no love in sight
I did everything I could to get me through the night
I don't know where it started or where it might end
I turned to a stranger just like a friend

You came knockin' on my heart's door
You're everything I've been looking for

No more lookin' for love in all the wrong places
Lookin' for love in too many faces
Searchin' their eyes
Lookin' for traces of what I'm dreaming of
Now that I found a friend and lover
God bless the day I discover
You, oh you, lookin' for love

You are still here… hope you are in awe of those lyrics. Now really... let’s hop on over to “Holding Out for a Hero”.

You can come back… and when you do… take a moment to soak in the beautiful truth of the song Build My Life by Pat Barrett – yet another love song.

A Day in the Life of a Chicken

Michelle Underwood Feathered Friends May 10, 2021January 16, 2023chickens 0 Comment

A Day in the Life of a Chicken is a collaboration with my chicken loving daughter. Our goal is to give you a behinds the scenes look at what it is like to have chickens. They are such amazing special creatures, each with a unique personality. They long to be loved and appreciated. They give to us daily - in return we treasure them.

We have arranged the story from newest to oldest. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy sharing it with you!

4/13/22

We ordered a new batch of baby chickens from My Pet Chicken. This batch took a long time to arrive in the mail - someone dropped the ball somewhere I am quite sure. They all arrived alive, but unfortunately only 3 of them made it. It was such a sad experience for our family.

4/13/22

When you are at the bottom of the flock and no one lets you eat with them.

4/3/22
Dust bathing with your bestie.

3/19/22
Daddy's little helpers.

3/23/22
You got to have and egg in the hole... (think George Strait). Fireman toast with homemade sourdough and farm fresh eggs.. Life is beautiful!

3/15/22
Spring is here. A garden bed and chick brooder waiting to be filled!

In loving memory of Opal.

3/7/22
One night before bed, one of our six was missing. We think we have the culprit.

2/20/22
Waiting for the favorite nesting box.

THEN (November) & NOW (January)...

Egg laying slows waaaay down in the winter, and even more with molting. Thanks to Anne Shirley, our Rhode Island Red, we are getting 1 egg/day.

1/25/2022

This is about all that's left of Maria's wounds. It is truly amazing how her body was able to heal. She always has been a fighter. You can see all the new pin feathers that are growing in. Throughout the recovery process we let her outside daily with supervision. Today we are excited to announce that she is back with her friends fulltime. It turns out that the best rememedy for healing is daily time with friends, fresh sunshine, TLC and a little dirt.

Please note that we did tend to her injuries daily with Veticyn wound spray, and examined her body thoroughly for any hidden wounds. A puncture would left untreated could result in a serious infection and even death.

For now, we are only letting the hens out to free range when we are home and able to monitor the skies. Just the other day we saw a bald eagle and red-tailed hawk soaring above. The battle is real y'all!a

1-9-2022

The day after the hawk attack we let Maria outside to bask in the warm January sun. We let all the other hens out from their run as well (they had been locked up for the past 24 hours as a precaution in case the hawk returned). They all flocked to their favorite dust bathing spot. We weren't sure if we should let Maria get her wound dirty, but settled on allowing her to follow instinct. Her wound was covered in dirt by the time we brought her back in for the night. Trusting that God and nature know best.

1-8-2022

As if molting mid winter isn't enough... our fierce leader Maria Von Trapp was attacked by a hawk today (sorry about the graphic pic). All the other girls were safely in their coop when my little boy walked outside to witness the battle and scare off the hawk. We moved her into the garage to recover with the aide of prayer and Vetericyn wound spray. Chickens will peck an open wound, so we kept her mostly isolated until she was fully recovered.

12/5/2021

Maria - our fearless leader. Every flock's gotta have one.

11/13/2021

Our chickens are starting to molt... November seems like weird timing. Isn't this when they need their feathers the most?! To ensure they are receiving adequate protein, we made a batch of molting cakes inspired by Fresh Eggs Daily. They loved them.

11/12/2021

All bunded up, getting ready for our first winter in the Midwest.

11/2/2021

Helping dig up the Canna Lily bulbs.

fall photo shoot

9/11/2021
You can count on me to take good care of you.

9/11/2021
Thank you for all you do for me!

9/3/2021
This weeks Mud Cafe specials, made special for our feathered friends!

8/30/2021
Abundance

7/31/2021
Our collection is growing.

7/31/2021
Just when you think you are getting good at something...
*Every now and then we would find a soft egg shell in the nesting box - but they eventually got the hang of it.

7/30/2021
Look what I did!

7/19/2021
When you are new at things, sometimes you get a little over ambitious!
*Double yokers seem to be abundant in the early days of laying.

7/11/2021

7/5/2021
Life is beautiful!

7/3/2021
There is nothing quite like the joy of finding your first egg!

6/27/2021
Sometimes you get the feeling that you have been blessed!

6/24/21
The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you’ve had.
~ Unknown

6/7/21
You must really love me!

5/26/21
Eating with the big dogs.

5/26/21

5/26/21
I tradded in my waddles for muff's. I think it was a good decision!

6/24/21
If only I'd chosen muffs...

5/16/21
Watching Wild Kratt's on a rainy day... why didn't they ever do one on chickens?

5/16/21
You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.
—Albert Einstein

5/12/21
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”
― Ruth Reichl

5/8/21
“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”
― Charlotte Bronte

5/7/21
Plastic packaging is for the birds...

5/6/21
Even little guys can do big things...

Going

Going

Gone

5/5/21
Scrambled eggs and dandelions... these are a few of my favorite things....

5/4/2021
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,..."
~ Shakespeare

5/3/2021
There is no place I'd rather be in this moment that purring in your arms and listening to Peter Pan! Oh how I wish I had some pixie dust so we could fly together!

(Chickens really do purr... you'll have to trust me on this one.)

5/3/2021
Kisses are a secret whisper to the heart unreliant on words and reasoning - a place where love is best defined.

4/23/2021
Sharing scrambled eggs with those you love is pure joy! I'll provide the eggs, you bring the fork!

4/20/2021
Dandelions, an acrostic poem

Delightful
Abundant in the spring.
Nutritious and medicinal.
Deep roots.
Enticing to children and chickens alike.
Love spreading wishes one takes the time to share.
Invasions of yellow.
Opens to the sun.
Necessary for pollinators.
Seeds that fly!

4/14/2021
A coop is necessary. A couch pure luxury.

4/7/2021
When you take time to notice the beauty in someone, you will instantly fall more in love.

3/12/2021
Shhh... don't tell the teacher I fell asleep during spelling.

3/12/2021
This must be true love.

3/12/2021
The warmth of her love is like the rays of the sun.

3/11/2021
Being out in nature is where I belong.

3/4/2021
A gentleman will not hesitate to share his sweater with you.

3/3/2021
Home is the place where you know you are loved, and can rest easy.

21 days to Hatching

Michelle Underwood Feathered Friends May 3, 2021May 4, 2021chickens, homeschool, incubation 0 Comment

Homeschool Incubation Project

As part of our homeschool curriculum this year, I knew I wanted to give my children (and let's be honest - myself) the experience of hatching a baby chick. Years ago we volunteered on a farm and had the opportunity to hold baby chicks, lambs and pigs each spring. It sparked a fire in me that has never been quenched, and a hatching experience has been on my wish list ever since.

Trying to find fertilized eggs to hatch proved to be more challenging that I first thought. That was until I called our Cooperative Extension and got connected with the Embryology program. As a part of their elementary school program, the Extension provides schools and homeschool families with fertilized eggs and an incubator for an indepth hatching experience. In addition to the equipment and the eggs, they also provide an excellent selection of educational resources to accompany this experience. It was an open and go curriculum, complete with baby chicks! What an incredible blessing.

The eggs we hatched were White Leghorns. The Extension did give us the option to keep or return the chicks we hatched. Based on my research, this breed was not my first choice. They are known for their stellar egg production, but tend to be more flighty, nervous and shy, not the ideal bird for small children. Because there are so many other breeds that are great with children, we decided to hand select our own. More on that later...

Day 1 we set up our incubator and prepared for the 21 day journey to hatching. The fertilized egg begins its development the moment they are held at around 100 degrees F. If never incubated the fertilized egg would never begin the process of embryo development.

We rotated our eggs morning, noon and night for almost 3 weeks. On day 7 and 14 we candled them with a flash light to determine if the egg was a winner, quiter or a yoker, and to take a look at the development inside. A winner has a viable chick forming inside, a quiter was fertilized but didn't succeed in development, and a yoker was never fertilized. Amazingly all 12 of our eggs were winners! On day 18 we stopped rotating our eggs and just let them sit in the incubator until hatching day. Right on track, on day 21, the hatching process began.

Day 21 - We saw our first pip/crack in the shell. The chick inside started to chirp. A couple of hourse later, the baby made its way out of the shell.

You can see this chicks egg tooth on the tip of her beak that she used to break out of the egg.

Most of our eggs hatched over a 24 hour period, though two eggs took almost 48 hours. When all was said and done we had 12 healthy, fluffy baby chicks. They all lined up along their radiant heater for a quick photo. So cute!

A few days after hatching we took them outside for some fresh air and sunshine. Aren't they precious!

Day 5 after hatching, it was time to return our baby chicks to the Extension office. It was sad to let them go, but we replace them with 6 baby chicks of our own. You can see the colorful bunch below.

Here are some cinquain poems the kids wrote about their hatching experience.

Many thanks to our local Cooperative Extension Embryology Program for making this possible!