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The Missing Link {May 2013 Blog Link Up}

We are elbows deep in dirty diapers, dishes, gardening, and meat chickens right now.  


Spring is such a busy time for us!

My husband has been doing most of the work with the meat birds, beginning with setting up their luxurious cardboard box pen while they were still chicks, needing plenty of warmth:






all the way up to the transition to their new, bigger home out at the old farm, where he has installed a watering system and built some large feeders for them.




We plan on butchering our chickens in the next couple weeks.  This was not easy for me to witness last year  (I am woman enough to admit that I cried), yet this year,  I am planning on dispatching at least one myself.  It is very important to me that I do this actually, even though I am dreading it.  I am very aware of where my food comes from, and that a living creature will be giving its life in order to sustain our own, which is what makes it so hard for me.

But, it is part of life, the food chain, and I feel like it is something I need to do.  I will, of course, document and publish my experience in the next couple weeks.  Hopefully there wont be too many pictures of me crying.  :)

Other than chickens, my month of May has mainly centered around taking care of our children.  


Our twins, Lily and Palmer are just about 5 months old now, and consuming much of my time.  They are future bacon lovers though, I can just tell...




We started them on solids recently.  Their first food?  No, not bacon!  Soft-boiled egg yolk.





I think I might like eggs Mom!



Baby Girl, you have a little something on your face...


My two oldest sons are happy that school is about to be let out.  


And so am I!  I could really use the helping hands at home.  I always like to brag about how much my boys help me out with the babies and the housework.  They are turning in to fine young men.


My eight year old is going through his "Napoleon Dynamite" stage.

My eleven year old is a major bookworm!


May really is a great month.  To me, it says, "Spring is here, and Summer is on its way!"  And keeping with this theme,  I have some great blog posts I have found that I'd like to share--

  • For your green thumb:

Learn how to compost in small spaces from Don't Mess With Mama.










A cheap and easy raised bed idea from Five Little Homesteaders.







  • For your body:

Homemade sunscreen lotion bars from Homemade Mommy.










Try making some calendula balm for skin irritations using Shalom Mama's recipe.






  • For your belly:

Another way to eat dandelions:  dandelion fritters from Growing Up Herbal.







Enjoy this great summer drink recipe:  lavender lemonade from They Call Me Oyster Girl.

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