Quote of the Day

Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could do something about it... but I'm afraid he might ask me the same question.  (Anonymous)

This quote, along with a couple of  scriptures have been invading my every thought lately.  They are redefining (it was once more clear) my whole perspective on being a christian.  I have always wondered when I stand before God when my life is over, what will I actually be judged on.  What will be left when my life is said and done - only those treasures I have stored up in heaven.  This is what the bible says:

Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me... I tell you the the truth, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.  Matthew 25:34-40 (shortened)

This is the answer that was hidden right in front of me!  It's not as though I have never shown compassion.  But have I shown love and compassion to the measure that I was able to?  Have I sacrificed my own comfort and dreams to meet others needs?  I confess I have fallen short.  I am so regretful for the lost time.  So now what will I do with the answer?  Seek out the widow, the orphan and the stranger, anyone who has need and show them love in tangible ways. 

A little over ten years ago, before I met my husband and started a family I had a passionate heart for missions.  I went to South Africa on a mission trip with my church for 2 weeks and served.  It was amazing, and I was seriously considering a move there to teach children for a commitment of 6 months to a year.  Then I met Scott and fell in love.  We have been blessed with a good marriage, our own catering business, a life together with four healthy beautiful children to raise in the country.  I have been so thankful for what I have and also have felt that our lives are so full!  Yet, instead of realizing we have our dream come true and offering it all back to God, saying we are completely yours and will share open-handedly what you have given... we got comfortable.  Quite cozy and comfy.  Well, I am praying that the Lord will bring the passion back that was once so full.  I pray it will spill over to my husband, and children and then out into the world. 

So these are my thoughts.  Please, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts with me.

Blessings,

Olivia

The Chicken Fiasco

The Chicken Fiasco actually started about 4 years ago!  We had found our "cottage in the country" one year before with two seperately fenced acres.  Right away we got to work building a horse shelter so I could buy a pretty Palomino Paint named Lily, but I am already getting off-subject! There is a funny story to tell about our dabbling in farm life and that actually may take awhile to explain! 

Anyway about the chickens!  At the time of my first brilliant attempt at chickens let me just set the scene:  (keep in mind I was raised in the suburbs) We had a horse, 3 goats (my husband surprised me with these), a dog, a cat and YES even a bull calf rescued and being bottle fed from the feed store!  Lest you think that was all, let me say there were also 3 children - two of them potty training boys!  At the point we rescue the calf, I had been rotating chicken eggs for several weeks until 4 hatched.  Quickly the chicks grew and quickly the calf grew and while everyone was growing like weeds the amount of pottying going on around me and needing to be dealt with daily or should I say hourly was getting overwhelming to say the least!  The first chicken fiasco soon had to come to an end.  One can only deal with so much pottying at a time.  The 4 chicks were given back to the nice lady who had lent me the incubator (2 ended up being roosters & sold at auction) and the calf went to a nice home. 

Now fast forward to Spring 2010.  We decide it would be nice to have chickens to feed our large family fresh and healthy eggs.  We plan to fill our already built chicken coop with chickens that my dear friend agrees to raise so I don't have to do that part again!  We spend hours researching finding an interesting mix of chicks to order online (to have a variety, and make sure to get hens) and place an order with My Pet Chicken to be delivered in May. 

Then, the chicks start arriving at local feed stores (February) and Leah goes crazy (she is now a crazy chicken lady and I mean that as a compliment) and comes home week after week with more than enough chicks for both of us.  Soooo, I cancel our online order....and then in May she calls me & says "why do you think the Post Office called me this morning?"  Uh oh.  They delivered 13 more chickens!  To add to this excitement, she is unable to raise anymore chicks and must deliver them to me at 1 week old!  So I am a chicken mama once again.  Did I mention we were also given 5 Rhode Island Reds who are already laying.  So I raised the new chickens in my basement, quite a smelly ordeal until they could go outside and then we had to move the older chickens to the horse stall.  Now we have 17 chickens! 

We meant to start out slow.  We thought we would have maybe 6 or 8.  Hmmm....the chicken thing is out of hand entirely, again.  But this time, we were more prepared and have a handful of solutions - we'll eat some, we'll talk our neighbor into some and we'll trade some because that's what life in the country is all about!  So if you're wondering what kind of chickens we have:  5 Rhode Island Reds (lay brown eggs), 4 Easter Eggers (lay blue/green eggs), 3 faverolles (cream eggs), 2 Silver Wyandottes, 2 White Plymouth Rocks, 1 Barred Rock and 1 Golden Wyandotte (all brown eggs).  We are having fun watching them grow, naming them cute names like Henny Penny, Puff Puff, and Speckles, looking for eggs and even taking out loads of chicken scraps.  Has it been a fiasco - absolutely!! But we have learned so much and enjoyed the process (for the most part!)  Soon, we'll have enough eggs to share or sell! 

And that's one of my favorite parts of country life too!

Embracing the Summer

One more day and the kids are home for the Summer!  I have to admit though it doesn't really feel like summer around here.  The last few months have had only momentary sunbreaks amidst weeks of pouring rain.  So, we need a plan and I think I've got it!

Years ago, when Anna was little I found a book called Family Fun, Boredom Busters.  The book was put away after awhile because the kids were so little that many of the activites were too advanced.  I'm so excited now to pull it out again to fill our days with new and interesting activities to beat the boredom bug.  There are 212 ideas in all sorts of categories play, instant fun, backyard games, rainy day play, seasons, arts & crafts, kitchen projects, and brain boosters.  So what is the plan?  To try every idea in the book and make it through them all before school starts in the fall!  We already have lots of ways our family plays together but sometimes it's nice to try something new.  I look forward to posting activities that become our favorites and also to being proactive about spending our summer rain or shine in a positive and creative light!

How cute is this face!

Sweet little Carolyn!  I just brought in this wrought iron chair and table set (from when Anna was little)!  I realized Carolyn is getting so big she needed a few chairs she could sit on without being lifted up!  She was soooo happy and sat right down as soon as she saw it!  What a cutie pie!

I was going to share...

I was going to share about the opportunities I had to look outside of my own small world and help those around me.  But then as I sat down to write the post I remembered reading in Matthew the other day and this is what I read:

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets (or in your blog :) to be honored by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:1-4

So I will just say, I DID see opportunities to reach out to others in love when I was looking and I am trying to keep that perspective!  That is my encouragement to you!  Isn't the giving so much better than the receiving!
Warmly,
Olivia