12 Days of Anticipation: Day 4 The Matriarchs

Day 4- The Matriarchs

The New Testament book of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. Normally the genealogy only follows the father's line, stating only the men in the family. However in Jesus' genealogy there are four women listed (other than Mary), and I think that is significant. God could have chosen any family line to place the Savior of the world in, and we would expect only the greatest people to be in his lineage. Let's take a look at Jesus family heritage.

The first woman mentioned in Matthew 1:3 is Tamar. You can read Tamar's story in Genesis 38, but I'll give you a quick overview. Tamar was an a Gentile- an outsider living with the Israelites. She was married to Er, a man so evil that God himself put him to death. As was the custom, she was given in marriage to Er's brother to have a child and continue her family line, but Onan didn't want to give a child on his brother's behalf and sinned. The Lord struck him dead as well. The third brother was to young to marry her and fulfill the brother's duties so the father, Judah, sent Tamar back to her family to wait. Judah had no intention of losing another son to whom he considered a cursed woman. With a turn of events, Tamar pretends to be a prostitute to sleep with Judah and finally becomes pregnant with a son. When Judah wants to have her killed for prostitution, she gives him proof that he is the father to save her life. This is a woman who lost two husbands, was cast aside and treated as a disease, had lost all hope of carrying on her family line, and even had her life threatened. And yet, this is the woman that God chose to include in the line of Jesus.

Our next woman is Rahab in verse 5, whose story is in Joshua 2. Rahab didn't have to pretend to be a prostitute, because that was her actual profession. She lived in the wall of Jericho, a city God intended to bring down as the Israelites advanced to the Promised Land. When Joshua sent spies into the land, she hid them on her roof and kept them safe, making them promise to save her and her family when the city fell. She had incredible faith in a God that she had only heard about from others and gave up everything she had to follow Him with the Israelites in the desert. In spite of where she began, where she ended up was what placed her in Jesus' family line.

The third woman is Ruth, another outsider who married into an Israelites family. Her story in the book of Ruth (yes, she gets her own book!), tells of the death of her husband and her father in law. When her mother in law encourages her to go back to her own people to remarry and have a family, she refuses to abandon her mother in law. She gave up her opportunity to have a family line in order to care for a bitter old woman and follow a God whom she had only just begun to learn about. Out of this tragedy comes a new beginning when she meets Boaz, the next in line in her family willing to marry her. She has children with him and becomes the grandmother of King David. What she would have missed if she had been looking out for her own interests!

The final woman is Bathsheba, whose story is in 2 Samuel 11. Her husband Uriah was fighting in the war when King David noticed her. He slept with her and she became pregnant. To cover his tracks, David arranged to have Uriah killed in battle and married Bathsheba. When the child was born, it was sick and God allowed it to die as a punishment for David's sin. Bathsheba eventually gives birth to another son, Solomon. Even though Bathsheba is not David's first wife, and her son is not near the top of the list for the throne, Solomon becomes king. Bathsheba trusts God through all of this.

Every single one of these women had lives that could have been defined by grief and tragedy. Loss and despair could have been their anthem, but instead they kept their eyes on the Lord, trusting in Him and His plan. This hope, even in the most hopeless of situations and faith in the one true God gave them the honor of being in the genealogy of Christ. God does not discriminate in who He uses- rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, male, female- He uses those who are ready and willing to be used!

Are you embarrassed by some of the past history of your family?
Have you let things that have happened to you or family members you love lose hope?
Do you doubt that God can use the flaws and pain of your story to do something great for His kingdom?
In what ways are you clinging to bitterness or claiming the victim card rather than trusting God and experiencing the life that He has planned for you?

God uses us as we are, just as He used the women in these stories who had seemingly no hope for a future. Now they are immortalized in history because they allowed God to use them in spite of their flaws. Their faith in spite of personal imperfection and great loss makes the rest of the story that much more redemptive...

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12 Days of Anticipation: Day 3 The Yearning of Mankind

Day 3- The yearning of mankind

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "O Come O Come Emmanuel" because it sets the tone and the stage for Jesus' birth.

O Come, O come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel, shall come to thee O Israel.

The people of Israel were waiting, anticipating, stuck in a sacrificial system that was a poor connection with God. They had heard prophesies from countless godly men throughout the centuries promising a Savior. The night is always darkest just before the dawn, and so it was for Israel. The Bible is silent for 400 years between the Old and New Testament. Israel is no longer the conquering nation led by God. They have been conquered. The prophets had warned them about what would happen if they turned from God, but the people chose to disobey. God had said all that He could say, and all that was left was silence. And the people waited as exiles, away from their home, away from their customs, away from their places of worship, and away from God. They waited for their Savior with all that you can have left in the silence- faith.

Have you ever felt that God is being silent?
Think of something or a specific time in your life brought you to a place so low that your hope could only come from a Savior.
Are you able to rejoice and continue in faith even in the silence and struggle or does your heart begin to turn bitter and hard?

Matthew 5:3 says "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for they will inherit the kingdom of God." You see, when we are weak, He is our strength. Even in the times of silence He has not forsaken us or left our side. Rather, He is preparing and humbling our hearts to accept the gift that He has for us...

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12 Days of Anticipation: Day 2 Making Sacrifices

Day 2- Making Sacrifices

Humans were separated from God by sin, but people were meant to worship God by definition and design, so God set up a provisional system in which they could worship Him, in spite of their sinful state. In order to take away sin, the price for sin must be paid, which is death. This death was a spiritual death, a separation from the life found in God, but it was also a physical death. None of us will live forever. God allowed this physical death to serve as a temporary substitute to cover the price of sin so that people could commune with Him.

After sinning, the Israelites would have to pay the price of death for their sins by sacrificing a perfect animal in their place. Different offenses called for different sacrifices, but blood paid the price. However, this payment was temporary. Once a person committed another sin, he was responsible for sacrificing yet another animal. Sin after sin, sacrifice after sacrifice, day after day, year after year, the Israelites allowed the punishment for their wrong doings to fall on animals in their place.

But this was not God's plan. This was just the temporary substitute. God would send one last Lamb to pay the permanent price for sin. Someone without sin- who did not have to pay the price for sin- would cover the cost for eternity. But the people had to wait.

Have you found yourself stuck in this sacrificial system mentality?
Are you working hard to follow the right rules to earn God's favor?
In what ways do you feel that you have earned the right to salvation by your good deeds or feel guilty when you don't live up to a certain standard?

While the Israelites had no choice but to follow these sacrificial rules to have community with God, we now live under a new covenant. We have a different source of forgiveness and life...

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12 Days of Anticipation: Day 1 The Beginning

Day 1- The Beginning

The story of Christmas story does not begin in Luke 2 as you may assume. No, the setting of the stage for the birth of Christ begins with the creation of man in Genesis. God creates man and woman in His own image to worship and glorify HIm. He places them in a garden that is beautiful and perfect. There is no sin, no death, no anger, jealousy, pain, pride, or sickness. There was no need for a Savior because intimate communion with God was face to face. There was only one rule in this garden- that the man and woman not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There are some things that man was never meant to know, but we want to know everything.

The serpent knew just what to say to convince Eve to take that first bite. The serpent told her that God was keeping something from her, that she could know everything that He knows, that she could have the same power that He had. She took matters into her own hands and ate the fruit, sharing it with her husband. Sin entered the world. The perfect plan that God had laid out was destroyed and people were separated from Him by sin. They had to leave the garden and His presence.

From that moment forward, God's true plan was set into motion.

Eve thought that God had kept something from her, that He hadn't shared everything with her. She had no idea just how much God would give to reconcile her from the separation that she caused in that moment of doubt and weakness. God's love for us is so unfathomable- He would give His only Son, Jesus, to undo what she had done.

How are you like Eve this Christmas?
Have you asked God for something, and when you do not receive it at once feel that He is keeping something from you that you deserve?
How have you tried to solve your own problems without Him because you disagree with His timing?
Have you blamed Him for things that have gone wrong in life, but taken credit for the successes yourself?
What things have you done that have separated you from the intimate relationship that God desires to have with you?

If these questions hit home, you are not alone. All of humanity shares in this curse, this separation, this darkness and struggle. But there is hope, because this is only the beginning of the story...

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13 Incredible Things I Learned on my Trip to China

My husband and I recently got back from two weeks in China- the trip of a lifetime! Everything there was so different that the whole trip felt like traveling to a completely different time and place from our world, and we never stopped learning. I will now attempt to put some of what I learned into words...wow. Here are a few things that completely blew my mind on my recent trip to China.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Chinese history or political expert. All of this information I gleaned by talking to various people in China, so if I was misinformed, I apologize!

1. China is HUGE!

We have all heard that "everything is bigger in Texas," well, Texas doesn't have anything on China. We all know know that the country is huge geographically as well as having 1.3 billion people, but there is no way to wrap your mind around just how huge it really is. Shanghai is one of the larger cities with 24 million people. Flying over in the plane, all you can see for as far as you can see is high rise buildings. Apartment buildings. A neighborhood in SHanghai looks like 20 high rise apartment buildings 30 stories high that all look exactly alike side by side. And then another group of 30 high rise building right next to it. And then another. We took a day trip to Suzhou, which is an hour and a half drive from Shanghai, and we drove a good 45 minutes before the jungle of high rise apartment buildings started to thin out. So many people! Just an incomprehensible number of people.

Some of the things that go along with that many people are difficult to imagine. In Shanghai, more than 10 million people use public transportation everyday- that's more than all of New York City. To limit the traffic in Shanghai, they bid on license plates. Only 750 license plates are released each month and each one will cost on average about $10,000. Some people wait for years to get a plate, so you invest in the plate before the car! You are only covered for health insurance in the city you are born and registered in. You are only allowed to have one child. Fo having that many people, the cities are spotless! No trash anywhere and all of the gardens pristine. That is because all of the tons of people need jobs, and so you will see crossing guards at every corner, gardeners by every flower, trash pickers on every sidewalk, and yes, even policemen in the intersections directing traffic with the white gloves and whistle. Every person has to have something to do, and there are a lot of people to keep busy.

2. China is Super-Censored

As a citizen of the US, we sometimes complain that our rights are being infringed upon, and freedom is more highly prized and protected than any other commodity. Because of that, entering a highly censored country like China comes as quite a shock. There is no facebook, no youtube, no netflix, and NO GOOGLE! Can you even imagine your world with no google? All information that comes into the country is censored by the government. As we were watching CNN in our hotel room, an update on the student protests in Hong Kong began and suddenly the TV went black! A few minutes later it turned back on to a commercial. At first we thought this must be a coincidence, but as the news cycled through it happened over and over!

One lady we talked to explained the reason for no facebook this way. She said, "We have our own version of a Chinese facebook here. The problem with facebook is that anyone can post whatever they want. There is no way to know if what you are reading is true. The government wants us to be able to trust what we read online, so they look through all of the information and take out the lies so that our internet is reliable. If someone posts anything with certain keywords, it will simply not show up until they approve it."

Before going to China I asked myself, can a government really "brainwash" an entire country that big? Especially in today's age of free information circling the globe as fast as it happens? The answer is yes. They can, and they are.

3. Tiananmen Square is Simply a Governmental Center

We have all heard of Tiananmen Square. We all know the story of happened to the student protestors there in the 80's. It is the only reason anyone and everyone has heard of it. When we were in Beijing we had the opportunity to tour the square, and I was interested to see what they would have to say about the site on the tour. In the 5 Chinese airports that we traveled through, we hardly had to show an ID of any kind, but to get in to the "public" people's square a group must have an appointment in advance with an assigned time to tour. Every person must go through a metal detector and show their passport to enter the heavily guarded gates. Inside the square, there are 10-12 surveillance cameras on every light post, and groups of military marching around (not to mention those under cover). We also saw a huge pile of riot shields stored off to one side. Other than that, the tour we got highlighted the different monuments, government buildings, the crystallized body of CHairman Mao, and the entrance into the Forbidden City. The entire experience was pretty chilling, and needless to say, there was no mention of the massacre that occurred on the site. It was as if it had never happened at all.

4. The One Child Policy is Complicated

As it turns out, the one child policy is not really a one child policy- here are a few things I learned:
- 95% of the population is Han, but the one child policy does not apply to any of the other 50+ people groups that live in China
- Families that live in the rural areas are allowed to have more than one child
- New exceptions to the policy are growing each day as CHina is about to face a housing crisis
- It is really a one birth policy, so if you have twins or triplets on your first try, you get to keep them all!
- If you have a second child, you have to pay a fee to the government, which can be a few thousand dollars in the rural areas to over ten thousand in the city
- If you don't pay the government fee, then your child is undocumented- they will never be able to have an ID, a job, drivers license, insurance or go to school. Basically, they are invisible in society. (You can later buy documentation, but the fee increases with each year.)
- As a result, abortion rates are extremely high in China, and having an abortion is commonplace

Are there ways around the system? We heard one story of a woman who already had one child and became pregnant again. She and her husband began saving money to pay the fee to get documentation so that they could keep their child on the way. She then found out that she was having twins, and there was no way that they could raise the money to keep both. So...the couple had a close male friend who was homosexual and did not plan on ever marrying, so he offered to "give" them his one birth. The woman divorced her husband, married the friend, gave birth to the twins as his one allowed birth, then divorced him and remarried her husband. I guess if there's a will, there's a way, but it sure makes me grateful to live in a country where my family is my choice!

5. Retirement in China is Awesome!

The retirement age in China is young (because they need those jobs for new workers) at 55 for women and 60 for men. While growing old in the US seems like a sad and lonely process in a depressing nursing home, these retirees are not that group. Every day, in almost every part of China, all of the retired elderly go to the public parks for morning exercise. The parks are completely packed with these self-organized groups led by volunteer retirees in every activity you can imagine! They have hackey sack groups, choir groups practicing, old men flying kites, ladies knitting, belly dancing circles, artists painting, you name it! They are all filled with energy and not only a hope, but a determination to get the most out of each day with a smile on their face. We definitely need a place like this in the US- where the elderly have a place to contribute their talents, find community with a group of friends, and stay active. I want to retire here!

Here is a group of ballroom dancers practicing their moves and teaching others.

This was my husband and my favorite! This group dresses up and dances with umbrellas, fans, drummers, and even a few ladies like the one pictured here dressed up like a donkey. My husband was all to happy to take the reigns and lead her around the dance floor for a while!

This group does various forms of Tai Chi. This one uses fans, but we also saw one with swords!

This group was enjoying some morning exercises with basic motions to help blood circulation.

6. The Three Gorge Dam Project had Huge Implications

Like everything in China, this dam is enormous! The Three Gorges Dam Project was the largest construction project ever undertaken and caused a worldwide cement shortage. The dam blocks the Yangtze River and was supposed to generate 10% of the entire country's electricity. While the pros seem amazing, the con was that the level of the river would raise 75 meters along the banks displacing over 3 million people who lived along the river's edge in almost untouched villages where their ancestors had farmed and fished for over 1,000 years. All of the cities along the river were relocated to villages higher up in the same area of the gorge. However, what were individual farms became high rise apartment buildings, and history was washed away in the forward march of technological advancement. Unfortunately, only 30% of the promised money to those being relocated ever ended up in the hands of those who had to leave their land and livelihoods. Was it worth it? I guess I should add that the dam only ended up supplying 3% of the country's electricity.

 This is a model of the dam project, since our pictures didn't have very good visibility that day. All the way to the right are the locks where the ships go through, and to the left is the dam. It is the largest man made construction in the world.

In this relocation village, the waters completely buried the original city. The wall with the gate that you see by the water is the original city gate that is over 1,000 years old. The citizens took apart this section of the wall and gate and rebuilt it brick by brick at the new city's site. It is one of the few cities to still have its original gate at the front of the city.

7. The Gorges are Gorgeous!

I don't mean to be cheesy, but there is simply no other word to describe it. We took a four day cruise up the Yangtze River through the three gorges and saw the most beautiful and pristine scenery I have ever encountered. It was so beautiful, I wanted to cry! ANd by that I mean, I seriously had an emotional reaction to how amazing it was! I could keep trying to describe it or just show you a few pictures that still don't do it justice... Oh, and if these pictures look like postcards- they're not! I took them with my very own camera!!!

8. The Terracotta Soldiers are All Broken

The Terracotta Warriors in Xian are one of the modern wonders of the world. In the 1970's a farmer digging a well discovered the archaeological jackpot- 8,000 life size pottery warrior, each completely unique in every way including facial features and expression. The army was made and buried with the first emperor of China (his name was Chin). He was the one who united the different clans in China and started construction on the great wall. During his reign of only 15 years, he had to enlist an unfathomable number of man hours to create his life size army of soldiers and horses as well as begin work on the Great Wall. When he died, and his son became emperor, the people wanted to show that they would not be oppressed by such labor any more, and broke into the emperor's buried army and destroyed every last soldier in pieces. I knew about the soldiers, but I didn;t realize that when they were discovered, they were a broken mess on pottery. Each and every soldier has had to be pieced back together, taking archaeologists an average of three months per scientist per soldier to repair. At this rate it will take 200 years to put them all back together! Even still, it is an amazing sight to see in person!

 Here are some of the broken pieces that archaeologists are still uncovering day by day. For a while the digging had stopped because the soldiers underground still have paint on them. However, when exposed to the air, the paint immediately falls off. Just recently they have found the technology to continue uncovering the soldiers without compromising the original paint. At the museum on the same site, we were able to see some of the first displayed pieces with the original paint in tact.

Here are some of the soldiers that have already been put back together, standing in their original ranks.

9. The Forbidden City is Called a City for a Reason

The Forbidden City is where the emperors lived while the capitol was in Beijing. I always thought that it was just a fancy name for the palace- I was wrong! It truly is an entire city where all of the emperor's family, concubines, chief officials, eunuchs, and servants lived. It is literally the size of a city with 9,999 rooms. There are several thick walled gates with courtyards to go through before you ever get a glimpse of the Forbidden City. The floors of the courtyards are made of 15 layers thick of brick paving to keep anyone from digging their way in. This was a truly incredible site to visit! Some emperors lived their entire lives within the walls, never stepping foot into the actual country that they ruled. In fact, the last emperor of China continued to reign in the Forbidden City for years after being overthrown, without knowing that he was no longer in charge!

10. Some Things Made in China are Simply Amazing

While most people immediately think of mass produced cheap plastic goods as synonymous with China, there are true artisans in China of ancient arts that are simply breathtaking. We were able to visit several of these artists to see how they create their work and some of the beautiful examples. Chinese silk carpets are made with 170 hand tied knots per square inch, and they are breathtaking! The silk embroidery is just as amazing with hand stitched pictures that look real. Pearls are also abundant in China and used to make high end jewelry. Jade carving is another incredible skill. The picture below is a sculpture carved into a single piece of jade that has naturally occurring color variations used by the artist to complete this depiction of a herd of running horses.

Another rare art is that of making lacquer furniture. Here are just a few examples with inlaid wood, pearl, and jade.

I would trade everything I own made in China to have just one piece of any of these treasures! 

11. Our Chinese Food is Not as Good

All of the meals in China are served family style at large round tables with a huge lazy Susan in the middle. They bring out 10-12 dishes of every kind of vegetable and meat you could dream of and its like Thanksgiving at every meal! I guess this is why all Chinese restaurants in the US are buffets- it is as close as it gets :) Chinese food is very different from American food- there is no bread of any kind, no  milk or cheese products, and no desserts. There was a lot of rice, noodles, vegetables, and meats in different sauces. Everything was delicious! I will definitely miss the food, but not how full I felt for two weeks!

To the right, a dumpling in the shape of a rabbit!

12. The Cultural Revolution was Terrible

The cultural revolution in the 1960's resulted in the destruction of almost every historical site in the country. Thousands of years of precious history across the landscape was brought to the ground. I cannot tell you how many historical sites we visited in which they have a pagoda built in the traditional style on the original site of a temple which was destroyed in the 1960's and rebuilt after 2000. Of the 12-15 temples we visited, only one was original- over 1,500 years old! It makes me sick to think of how much of the rich history of this country has simply been erased.

13. The Great Wall is Steep!

I have always heard that the Great Wall is wide enough to drive a car on, and that is true, but it gives you the idea that the top of the wall is flat, and that is NOT true! The Great Wall is made up of many different pieces built over 1,000 years during many different emperors and stretches over 8,000 miles across China. It is easily wide enough in certain parts to accommodate multiple lanes of vehicles, but they wouldn't get very far. That is because the Great Wall is built through the mountains, and is mostly stairs. Uneven stairs that range in height anywhere from a few inches to several feet. Getting far at all is a hike! Anyone who goes the entire length should get an olympic medal! We had high hopes of going as far as the eye could see, but we were only able to go about ten towers worth and were so sore the next day it wasn't even funny. But what a sight! The wall did not disappoint :)

While I learned a lot of facts and history, most of all I learned to be a learner- to step into another culture and try to see it in a different light than I had previously perceived it from the outside. China is a fascinating country filled with hospitable people, and I was honored to spend a few weeks seeing life from a very different perspective. It makes me grateful to live in a free country, but also interested to see the what the future holds for this other country so different from ours on the other side of the world!

DIY Photo Block Tutorial

I enjoy making presents for as many people on my Christmas list as possible. Let's face it, some people just really want a gift card, but I get a lot more enjoyment out of creating something that I think they will enjoy. All three of my roommates from college had babies this year, so I will be sending each of them a Baby Photo Block. They are really cute, personal, and easy to make, so I thought I would share the idea :)

What you need:
- a 2x4 piece of wood (will make lots!)
- a saw (hooray for power tools)
- acrylic paint
- printed 4x6 photo
- Mod Podge
- paint brush
- tulle or ribbon
- Sharpie

First, take a 2x4 and cut it into 4" long pieces to make the blocks. Then paint each of the blocks in the color of your choice.

Next, get a printed copy of a picture- it could be baby, graduation, wedding, birthday, etc. In this case, I have three adorable baby pictures. Cut each picture slightly smaller than the size of the block so that you can see just a little bit of the paint around the edges of the picture.

Now grab your handy Mod Podge! Use a paint brush to coat the back of each picture and paste it to the block. Then I painted three coats over the front of the picture to seal it and protect it. Make sure to let each coat dry completely before adding the next.

Once they have dried, use a Sharpie to write a message on the back. It could be a verse, a memory, a special date, etc. In this case, I wrote the baby's name, birthday, weight, and length (not shown for privacy reasons).

Finally, wrap ribbon, fabric, or tulle around the edge and make a bow on top to finish it off for display!

I hope they don't stumble upon this post before Christmas, or it will spoil the surprise! I hope you have fun crafting for Christmas this year!

How to Freeze Fresh Green Beans

We just had our first freeze last week, which in south Louisiana is unheard of! I am so upset that I had to pick all of the green beans, tomatoes, and peppers and say goodbye to my late summer plants. We usually have at least three more weeks! I realize our growing season is months longer than most places in the country, but I'm still sad it had to end so soon! 

Due to this massive last minute harvest, I need to freeze some of my green beans for later, so in case you are in the same situation, here's how!

In order to freeze green beans without having them lose any nutritional value, they must be blanched first, which is a really simple process. First wash the beans and snip off all of the stem ends.

 Next, bring put them in a pot on the stove and cover them with water. 

Cook on high until you have a rolling boil for three minutes. At this point the beans should be bright in color and tender crisp.

Remove the beans from the hot water and immediately place into a bowl of ice water until chilled, usually about 3-4 minutes.

 Now all you have to do is let them dry and then put them in a freezer ziplock bag. When you take them out later they will be ready to cook in whatever way you choose and enjoy year-round with the added bonus of still maintaining almost all of the nutritional value of fresh picked green beans!

How to Harvest and Cure Sweet Potatoes

It's sweet potato time in South Louisiana! I love harvesting root vegetables because it's always a surprise. You know there is something under that dirt, but how big and how many??? It's time to excavate! My sweet potato bed this year was a 4x8 raised bed. This works great because it is easier to keep the vines contained (they will take over everything if you let them) but at the same time gives them plenty of space to produce a good crop.

 As you can see, my vines are still nice and green when I am harvesting. Some places will tell you to wait until the vines die down, which may be true up north, but here in the south that may not happen until January! For my area harvesting takes place a minimum of 120 days after planting. (To learn how to start your own sweet potato slips for planting, click here.)

 It's hard to tell in the picture, but you will start to notice the dirt at the base of each stem beginning to mound up in a little hill. This is because there are potatoes under there!

 To check and see if your sweet potatoes are ready, gently brush away some of the soil around the base of the plant and you should be able to see the tops of a few sweet potatoes. You can roughly judge their size and decide if it is time to harvest.

 Gently dig around the base of the plants to get the tubers out of the ground. I usually end up using my hands more than a shovel so that I don't knick the potatoes or accidentally break off the ends.

If you are lucky and have loose soil, you may be able to pull up an entire group all at once! After you have all of the plants pulled up, be sure to turn the soil throughout the garden really well. You will be surprised how many rogue sweet potatoes you will find hiding out! My garden will yield 15-20 pounds of sweet potatoes this year.

 Lay the sweet potatoes out on the dirt or path to dry for a few hours in the sun allowing any injuries to heal before brushing off the dirt and storing them. Once they are completely dry, they must be cured in order to have that sweet taste that we are all looking forward to.

Next, cure the sweet potatoes by storing them in a warm humid place for 7-10 days. It should be at least 80 degrees F. This isn't too hard to come by in Louisiana even in October- I just put them in a paper bag in the shed, greenhouse, or attic. Next, keep them at 55 degrees F for 4-6 weeks. While this may be easier up north, I will be keeping them in a mini fridge set to that temperature. The curing process helps trigger the sugar creating enzymes in order to have that sweet taste we are all looking forward to. After the potatoes have been cured, sweet potatoes will keep for several months without losing any nutritional value. Now its time to start collecting recipes!!!

Egg Hunting: How to Tell the Age of an Egg

Every now and then our free range chickens will decide to lay eggs in places other than their nesting boxes, and the only way to find their new nest is to either have a full-blown egg hunt or to do a little spying on the hens. 

Recently our egg production has taken a drop since the days are getting shorter, one of our hens is broody, and a few others are molting. But when I only gathered one egg over three days with three hen still laying, I had a feeling that the ladies had new hiding place. My egg hunt turned up empty, but the spying did the trick when a hen emerged from the garden singing the egg song. Sure enough, deep in the bushes, I found the mother load!

Not only a few, but nine eggs all in a neat little pile!

I was glad to have the eggs, but now on to the real problem. How long had the eggs been there? Were these laid over the last few days or had it been building up over weeks? Fortunately there is a neat little trick to figure out the general age of the eggs and if they are still good.

The Water Test

This is a pretty simple test. Simply submerge the egg in about 6 inches of water in a clear container.

1 week old or less- the egg will lay on the bottom on its side

2 weeks old- the egg will lay on the bottom with the fat end beginning to stick up

3 weeks old- the egg will rest on the bottom standing with the fat end up

4 weeks old- the egg will float on the top of the water

Thankfully for us, it turned out that all of our eggs were less than a week old. Any egg that floats is a bad egg and definitely should not be eaten, but beyond that eating the eggs is up to your own judgment. Personally, one week outside is enough for me. Anything beyond that goes to the compost, but I know plenty of other people who will eat any egg that isn't floating.

If your hens are being mischievous, I hope you have a successful egg hunt!

Eve's Curse: A Biblical Look at Miscarriage and Infertility

Earlier this year, my husband and I were expecting our first child and went through the pain of having a miscarriage at nine weeks. For more on the first few months of dealing with miscarriage, see

this post

. After having a miscarriage or struggling with infertility, there are so many questions that surface and resurface  while dealing with the emotional, physical, and mental battles that go along with these issues.

Questions like, "Why has this happened to me?"

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

And for Christians, the questions go much deeper, “How could a God who loves me take away something that I love so much?"

"Is God punishing me?"

"How could God’s plan include me losing a child, or facing a childless future?"

And then a particular one that I struggled with, "I know that God wants me to surrender everything to Him, that He has given and so He can take away, but what else does He want me to give up?" 

When you google verses about infertility or miscarriage, you will get pages of flowery promises that all things will work together for good, and you will have a child as promised, and your descendents will number more than the stars in the sky. If these verses are meant to comfort the hurting woman, they are failing miserably because it only makes us question more why that isn't coming true in our own lives. As always when a situation is very personal and we are emotionally invested, we are only seeing one side of the story. It is time to look at the Bible for answers, yes, but not just the parts that we want to be true for us, but the entire redemptive story as a whole.

Here is my disclaimer- I am not a Bible scholar. I did not go to seminary. I do not know what the Greek word means. I have a Bible, and I read it, asking God for discernment to see what perspective it has to offer us because it is God's Word, and it is always true and relevant. I'm in the same place you are. That said, let's dive in!

Why do bad things happen to good people?

To begin, let's admit that our definition of good and bad is relative. We look at the evil in the world and anything better than that is considered good. Unfortunately for us, the only perspective that matters is God's. He looks at His own perfection and anything that does not match it in every way is sinful. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Rom. 3:12). I will not be so audacious to claim that I am a “good” person. I am a sinful person who has been forgiven by God’s grace. SInce I did nothing to deserve this grace, I can cannot demand anything of God based on my “goodness”.

How could God's plan include me losing a child or facing a childless future?

Setting the Scene from the Beginning

With that in mind, let's reset our perspectives to focus not on ourselves, but on God, whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and whose ways are higher than our ways (Is. 55:9). To get the right idea about any issue that we face, we have to have a correct view of God, His character, and His intentions for us as human beings. God created Adam and Eve to live in perfect harmony with Him in the Garden of Eden. The Garden was a home for them that was free of sin, death, jealousy, pain, pride, illness, and tears. It was a place of perfect communion with the Creator of the universe and his creation. THIS was the plan- THIS is what God wanted to share with us forever. 

However, humans have free will, and Adam and Eve sinned by breaking the one rule that God had given them, not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By eating the fruit, they choose a path different from what God had planned and sin entered the picture. All sin comes with consequences, because God is just (I would have Him no other way!). The specific consequence for Eve’s sin demonstrates, in my opinion, one of the greatest struggles that she will have to face as a woman.

Genesis 3:16, "To the woman he [God] said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

The second part of the curse is that her desire will be for her husband (a discussion for another day). But the first part of the curse is that she will have pain in childbirth. Growing up I always believed this to be a physical pain in the actual birthing process, but I would like to assert that this curse is a much more comprehensive pain that every woman experiences. This pain could take the form of frustration over not being able to have children, the grief of losing a child before it can be born, the burden that drives some women to take the life of their children prematurely in the womb, or the weight of responsibility that comes with actually giving birth to another human being that is solely in your care. As all mothers know, the pain does not end with birth but continues as they grow- pain when they hurt, pain when they choose not to follow God, pain when they reject you. The pain of childbirth is only one form of this curse. 

The one thing that is unique to women, the ability to procreate, comes with an amazing bond between mother and child, a love that transcends any other kind of love, but now it comes at a price. This love for your child, and this desire for them, brings pain no matter what the circumstances that surround the conception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. We have been cursed as a result of our own sin, and this is our burden to bear as women. God did not do this to us, and this was NOT His plan. Satan gave us a temptation, and we traded God's plan for our own. Romans 6:23a says, "For the wages of sin is death." And God even warned Adam and Eve that if they ate from the tree they would surely die. We have all chosen sin, and we have been dying ever since. We chose death.

How can a God who loves me deprive me of something that would make me so happy?

I came across a verse months after I thought I had fully processed and “accepted” the miscarriage that said:

Exodus 23 24-26  Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

I just "happened" to run across these verses in my daily Bible reading. I stopped in my tracks, reread it, and reread it again. And then I found a similar passage in Deuteronomy 7:14, "You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young." What does it mean? I am a Christian, a follower of His word, so am I taking this promise out of context to want to grab hold of it and show it to God expecting to get my way? 

First of all, yes I was taking it out of context, God is speaking to the people of Israel at a particular time in history which does not apply to me on either count (I'm not an Israelite and I was not alive thousands of years ago). And secondly, as I began to look closer at the verses I noticed that the condition for this promise was that the people follow God exclusively and not follow idols.  I immediately consoled myself that I was not worshiping any idol besides God! 

However, further thought made me realize that this was not the case. I am not worshiping just one idol, but many! Hobbies, work, family, time consuming things like social media and other time-wasters, but the most consistent and recent idol of all...having a baby. It consumes more of my thought than Christ does on any given day.  So to address the question of whether a God who loves me would deprive me of something I love, the Bible makes it clear that God is a jealous God with one requirement, that He be first (Exo. 4:14). Always. Of course He should not give me the very idol that I am so fervently seeking to replace Him with, and nor should He! That wouldn't be love, but enabling. I have straightening of priorities to do if I am to be the mother that Christ would desire me to be. I am not there yet! I do not want a God who feeds my addictions or spoils me into an inability to focus on His will.

Is God punishing me?

Even in light of this thought, no, God is not punishing you. Punishment is given out of anger, and consequences are given out of love, in the same way that a parent trains a child in the way that they should go. I do not think that my miscarriage was a direct result of the idols in my life, but it does prove a point. You see, our perspective has been a selfish one all along, looking to our own interests instead of God's. And because of that, God can use these broken times in our lives to rebuild us into followers that know and understand Him more clearly. He can fix our eyes on Him (Heb. 12:2).

Whose fault is it?

One of my first thoughts after having a miscarriage was that this was not, and could not be my fault. I had done everything right, I had followed the letter of the law when it came to "what  to expect when you’re expecting" and every other piece of literature I could get my hands on. I was certainly not at fault, and couldn't handle the idea of any guilt on top of the grief I was already processing. However, looking at the story of Adam and Eve, it is pretty clear that all consequences in life that are painful are a result of sin. It may not be a direct result, for example, doing something to intentionally harm the baby, but it is indirectly all a consequence of sin- because before sin, none of this pain existed. It is our fault. God is not punishing us, but it is a consequence of our actions as a human race.

Biblical Examples

There are many situations in the Old Testament where infertility and miscarriage are a direct result of a sin that someone committed.

Here are just a few of those examples:

2 Samuel 6- Michal, the wife of King David, despises and rebukes him for dancing before the Lord, and is never able to have children as a result

Genesis 20- Abraham lies to King Abimilech that his wife Sarah is his sister, and when the King takes Sarah as his wife, every woman in his household is struck with infertility until Sarah is returned to Abraham

But if we continue to look at Biblical examples of infertility, we see many women who struggled with infertility, some for decades, and then were able to give birth, and almost always to extraordinary characters who play major roles in history.

A few examples include:

Genesis 15-21- Sarah, the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, the patriarchs of God chosen nation of Israel, was infertile until she was 90 years old

Genesis 25- Rebecca, Isaac's wife and the next generation of patriarchs, was infertile for 20 years, but eventually gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau

Genesis 30- Rachel, the wife of Jacob and third generation of the patriarchs also struggles with infertility while watching Jacob's other wife bear son after son, she eventually gives birth to Joseph and Benjamin

Judges 13-14- Samson's mother, unnamed in the Bible, struggles with infertility for years before being visited by an angel and given instructions for raising her son, the strongest man who will ever live

I Samuel 1- Hannah, the mother of Samuel, dedicated her son to the Lord after years of infertility, and he became a prophet for the people of Israel

Luke 1- Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist in her old age even though she was barren for many years

As you can see, there are many Biblical examples of women of faith, who follow God wholeheartedly, and still struggle with infertility and miscarriage. However, it is amazing to me to look at the ending of these particular stories, because they always result in being a part of a much larger and more fulfilling plan. Hear this clearly: having a child in the end was not what made their lives more fulfilling, it was the process of faith and releasing their hopes and dreams to the Lord for Him to do His will with, no matter what the end result. You see, tragedy and triumph go together. When we overcome the pain with the love of Christ, when we work through the grief knowing that God will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death to the other side (Ps. 23:4), there is a promise for those who are faithful. This promise is not to make our dreams come true as we so often want to believe, it is not for us to get our way, and it is not for us to be happy. 

God’s Work of Reconciliation

In light of the scripture, we wonder then, is here no hope for Eve? Has her sin cast her and our sin cast us out of ever having the possibility of having children? Are we doomed to this cursed fate forever? Just as in every story, there is a turning point! A point at which all odds seem bent towards destruction, but that is not the end. Jesus is our turning point. Even after we chose sin, God loved us so much that He did not leave us to die in our sins (1 John 1:9). Instead He made a way for us to be restored to Him. 

Throughout history, death and life are closely knit together and are interrelated. Jesus’ death and life overthrew the former system of the power of sin and death. There is a new theme in scripture, and that is that Christ is making all things new (Rev. 21:5). He restores our soul (Ps. 23:3). He is seeking and saving what was lost (Luke 19:10). He is in the act of reconciling all things to Himself (Col. 1:20). This restorative, reconciliatory work will not be complete until we are united with Him in an earthly death, which results in a new, eternal life for those who follow Him and have called on His name (John 1:12). However, we do see the beginnings of this reconciliation taking place on earth through the demonstration of His grace. Children are born, lives are saved, women do experience the joy of conceiving and giving birth, and every time that happens, it is an extension of God’s grace to us, an undeserving people. You see, we have had the wrong perspective all along- it is not God who keeps us from having children, it is God who gives us the opportunity.

This is where our promises from God come in! The promise is that God loves us unconditionally (Rom. 8:38-39), He will never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6), He has a plan for us that has hope for our future (Jer. 29:11), He will give us peace through the journey (Phil. 4:7), and He will restore our souls (Ps. 23:3). Once we are able to look at the situation with faith, not a faith that believes that our will will come to pass, but a faith that trusts that God’s will for us is greater for His Kingdom (not ours) then we will receive His peace and have the opportunity to joyfully take part in what He is doing.  In this life we are not promised health and wealth, but instead we are promised hardship and sacrifice (John 16:33). God is not punishing you, it is a result of our sin. But at the same time, He will use even the consequences of sin to work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), even when that good may not take the form we want it to.

My Confession

When people would find out about the miscarriage, they would usually say “I’m sorry that happened.” In the back of my mind I would think, but there is nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything. I didn't do anything. It just happened. But I have a different approach now. I do have things to be sorry for, attitudes that I need to confess. I need to be careful that I approach this issue with God’s perspective and a correct view of Him. I encourage you to take down the blame, doubt, guilt, shame, pride, and grief that you are working through for a moment so that you can be real and authentic with God. It is time for me to confess. 

I am sorry that I have put other things before you, God. I confess that I have put my own will above Your will at the risk of Your kingdom. I am sorry that I have questioned your love, that I have been tempted to give blame to you when the true sinner is myself, and for not recognizing that the ultimate blame is on Satan for his temptation in the garden. Satan is so tricky to deceive us into blaming You for his handiwork! I confess that I have wanted my great faith and my own dreams to be an answer and solution to the problem, instead of having faith in You and Your will, that You are working all things together for good. I lift up the cursed women around the world and ask that You would restore our souls. We humble ourselves and and submit to Your will. Forgive us. Give us patience. Give us strength. Give us a renewed mind and spirit. But above all else, give us a desire for You first and foremost. For You are making all things new!

Vegetable Starting Guide: Seeds or Plants?

So you're ready to begin a vegetable garden or try a new plant for the first time, but you aren't sure how to begin. Start seed indoors, direct sow, or buy transplants?

After years of experimenting with seeds and transplants, I have decided to make a handy chart to keep track of the vegetables that start out better with seeds started indoors, seeds directly sown in the ground, or bought from the store in a pot. Here is a little bit more on each of the options.

Direct Sow
I used to be completely intimidated by starting seeds directly in the ground. I'm way to much of a control freak to believe that sticking a seed in some dirt outside and walking away could ever produce anything edible, but after lots of trusting and trying, it has become one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways that I have found to begin most vegetables. Without direct sowing in the garden, you will greatly limit the number of different vegetable types that you can grow. It is much easier than you think, and at $1 per pack for most seed, the price is unbeatable for gardening on any larger scale.

All varieties of beans are a great seed to start with if direct sowing intimidates you. These seeds will come up fast and grow strong every time!

Seeds Started Indoors
Some plants need the extra time to grow before the weather warms up enough to go outside, especially in areas of the country with short growing seasons. Starting seeds indoors is a great way to give those plants a jump start. Simply plant your seeds in six packs or peat pots with potting soil. Some gardeners use a soil-less seed starting mix, but I find that a good potting soil almost always does the trick. Keep the soil moist, (the best way is by watering from the bottom) and keep them under LOTS of light. You don't want your seedlings to get long and lanky stretching for sunlight. Put them out in the sun as soon as possible.

Transplants
Some plants simply take too long to grow from seed to maturity in a single planting season, especially in colder zones where the growing season is short. There are also some plants that can be grown from seed, but with the amount of care and attention they need, it is just not worth it. In those cases, you will want to buy plants from your local nursery. When choosing plants, buy the smallest ones possible to keep your budget under control. Don't worry, they will be big soon! Look for plants that are low and bushy rather than tall and lanky.

Other
Other vegetables have special beginnings, such as potatoes, onions, garlic, and asparagus. They may be started from bulbs, seed potatoes, slips, leftovers from the kitchen, mature root stock, or sets that you buy from the store or order from a catalog. Do some research on these individual plants to find the best way to get the growing.

Sweet potatoes are grown from slips started from a seed potato.

And now for the handy chart! I hope this helps you as you expand your gardening horizons and try new plants. Some plants may have links that you can click on for more information on starting that particular plant.

Download: click here

Natural Chicken Dewormer

Earlier this summer we lost a laying hen to gape worm. By the time we figured out what was wrong with her based on the symptoms, it was to late to treat her. 

About Gape Worm- How to Recognize the Signs

Gape worm is a worm that most chickens carry at any given time. Occasionally it will take over a weaker chicken and can cause death, as it sis in the case of our hen. Gape worms lodge themselves in the throat of the chicken and cause them to walk around with gaping mouths as they gasp for air. (hence the name) The gaping mouth of the chicken is the first sign, following by making hoarse rasping noises, stopping egg laying, lethargy, stretching out the neck and shaking the head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the worms, and finally heaving the body forward to literally attempt a self-Heimlich maneuver. The chicken eventually dies of asphyxiation as the worms multiply and block the breathing passage.

You can see Meg "panting" in this picture with a gaping mouth, the first sign of gape worms lodged in the throat.

What to do about it

After doing more research we realized that other hens in or flock were showing early symptoms of gape worm as well, and we needed to act to keep from losing more hens. As it turns out, the gape worm can be easily treated with antibiotics. We didn't want to use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary for two reasons: 1) you can't eat any of the eggs for two weeks while they have the antibiotics in their system and 2) the whole reason we have our own chickens is to avoid unwanted and unnatural substances such as antibiotics and growth hormones in our food. On the other hand, we didn't want to lose our whole flock to the worms. We started looking for a natural remedy to use to deworm the chickens. After reading about a few different natural dewormers for chickens online, we decided to put our own concoction to the test. The recipe is simple and uses ingredients that you probably already have around the kitchen. 

Our Natural Chicken Dewormer Recipe

We made a single serving of grits (I know this is a southern thing, but you can substitute oatmeal as well. This part is just to give them a base of something they like to eat so they will gobble it down). Then we mixed in a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper and a tablespoon of minced garlic. We fed this mix to our chickens once a week until the threat had passed, and we continue to give it to them about once a month to avoid problems in the future. Not only did all of the symptoms disappear immediately, but they have shown no signs of infection since!

 I thought at first that the chickens wouldn't eat the awful smelling concoction, but I set the bowl out and ran back in to grab my phone to take a picture. By the time I got back outside, they had pecked it clean! Cayenne pepper and garlic goes in, and gape worms come out :)

Natural Chicken Dewormer Recipe

1 serving oatmeal or grits

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Serve once weekly or as needed.

So simple! I hope that you will be able to combat gape worm (and types of other worms) in your flock naturally!

DIY Ribbon Headband Holder Tutorial (No Sew!)

I recently pinned a DIY Ribbon Headband Holder that someone had made and was selling on etsy for $20. I don't think so! Immediately I knew I had to make some to give as gifts to nieces, etc. It didn't take long for me to create my own version, and it was so simple that I can't wait to share it with you so that you can make one for yourself :)

Materials:

3" of 1/4" wide grosgrain ribbon 

4" of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon

5 pieces of 9" long 1" wide grosgrain ribbon

24" of 2" wide grosgrain ribbon

hot glue gun

metal key ring

*choose any color combinations of ribbons that you want!

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1" (25mm) Nickel Plated Silver Steel Round Edged Split Circular Keychain Ring Clips for Car Home Keys Organization, Arts & Crafts, Lanyards (100)

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Tutorial:

Begin by ironing your ribbon as grosgrain ribbon creases easily. Next, hot glue  the edges of each of the five pieces of ribbon to create loops.

Put hot glue along the top edge of the first loop and glue it centered on the base 2" wide ribbon. Next, flip the loop upside down and put a line of hot glue along 2/3 of the length of the ribbon and stick it down to the base ribbon.

Put a line of glue along the top of the next loop and glue it onto the base ribbon so that the edge of the loop just fits underneath the end of the loop before it. Add the line of glue 2/3 of the length to secure it to the base ribbon, and continue this process until all five loops have been added along the base ribbon.

Once all the loops are attached, put a thick line of glue to the top of each loop and press down firmly with your finger to connect the base of the loop above it.

Glue the 1/4" ribbon into a loop and then glue it to the top front of the ribbon.

Glue the 4" piece of 1" wide ribbon lengthwise across the top

of the base ribbon, but slightly above the top edge.

Flip the base ribbon over and glue each side of the ribbon down to enclose the top for no raveling.

To finish the bottom edge, just hot glue the edge under to make a short seam on the back of the ribbon.

And now all you have to do is pull off all of those annoying glue strings from the hot glue gun, put your metal key ring through the loop, and hang up your creation for organized headbands!

Happy creating and gifting!

Rabbit Lunch Wraps

Ready for another great rabbit recipe? This one is quick, easy, and one of my husband's all-time favorites.

In order to cook your rabbit, boil it in water on the stove for 20 minutes just like you would a chicken.

After that, the meat will easily tear off the bone so that you can cut it into small pieces to mix in with the other ingredients.

Next, mix the meat, rice, beans, corn, cheese, and tomatoes together, and you're done!

This makes a perfect meal for a quick lunch that is healthy and filling.

Not only is it super simple, but it also makes a lot and freezes well. I usually freeze about half for us to have another time.

Rabbit Lunch Wraps Recipe

1 rabbit

2 cups brown rice, cooked

4, 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and strained

2, 15 oz cans pinto beans, rinsed and strained

10 oz can corn, strained

10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, strained

flour tortillas

1 lb. shredded pepper jack cheese

Optional: picante sauce and sour cream

Cook the rice as directed. Boil the rabbit in water over the stove for 20 minutes. Debone the rabbit and cut the meat into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix all rice, rabbit, cheese, and canned goods together in a large bowl. Serve heated on flour tortillas with picante sauce and sour cream.

10 Reasons to Raise Meat Rabbits (and 4 Reasons Not To)

10 Reasons to Raise Meat Rabbits

1. Rabbits are quiet

They literally make no noise. If you live in the suburbans with temperamental neighbors who are bothered by the slightest disturbance, then rabbits are the right choice for you. I'm pretty sure we had our rabbits for six months before our neighbors even knew. When the chickens are squawking in the morning or singing the egg song, you will be grateful that the rabbits are mute!

2. Rabbits are delicious

For more on this, check out the post on the

Verdict on Eating Rabbit

. This is a lean white meat that can replace chicken in most recipes or even ground beef in much the same way that ground turkey can. It can also be used to make delicious sausage! whichever way you enjoy it, this is a great alternative to grocery story meat with unknown beginnings.

3. They multiply like...well...rabbits

The gestation period for rabbits is only 30 days, and each litter can easily have 8-10 kits. The kits can be weaned completely after 4 weeks and the mother is ready for mating again. At that rate of reproduction, a breeding pair of rabbits can produce 60 rabbits in a year. At 3 lbs. of meat per rabbit, you have just produced up to 180lbs. of meat for your family without large livestock!

4. They don't take up much space

While raising cows, chickens, or goats takes up a lot of land, our entire rabbit operation takes up only 45 square feet. We have a cage for the male, one for the female with the breastfeeding kits, and another cage for the weaned kits that are growing into processing age. Most of the meat for our family is raised in just a corner of the backyard!

5. They create garden fertilizer

We do compost most of our kitchen and yard waste, but rabbits can create amazing garden fertilizer a lot faster than the compost pile can. Rabbit manure is one of the best natural fertilizers for the garden because it is one of the only animal manures that do not need to mature before applying to the dirt. Cow and most other animal manures need to sit at least six months before going into the garden to avoid burning the plants, but rabbit manure can be shoveled straight from under the cage and into the vegetable garden. And they produce plenty of it! Your days of buying bags of Miracle Grow Soil are over!

6. They are a healthy source of very lean meat

Not only is rabbit meat delicious, but it also is very healthy for you. Rabbit meat has less fat, calories, and cholesterol than beef, pork, turkey, and chicken, and it has the highest percentage of protein. According to many studies, it is considered the most nutritious meat out there! So, yeah...delicious and very good for you :)

7. They are inexpensive to feed

While chickens can forage for up to 15% of their diet, rabbits can forage for up to 90% of their diet, which significantly cuts the cost of food. We feed our rabbits all of the leftover greens from our garden, such as beet, radish, turnip, and carrot tops, potato vines, and leaves of greens that have been chewed up by bugs. We also give them grass, weeds, tree leaves, etc. They will eat anything green and in many cases prefer it to the bagged feed. Our average price of feed per pound of meat produced is right around $2.50. That is much cheaper than any meat you can find in the grocery store, and you can rest assured knowing that it is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

8. Easy to process

My husband does all of the meat processing. He has frequently processed chickens and rabbits. On average it takes him about 45 minutes to process a chicken (with my help to defeather), while a rabbit takes him around 15 minutes to process from live rabbit to meat in a freezer ziplock bag. No feathers to deal with, the skin peels right off, and you also don;t have to withhold food from the rabbits before processing.

9. They grow quickly

Rabbits can be processed at only 8 weeks of age. Since we feed our rabbits so many greens, we usually wait until 12 weeks to process them, but it still doesn't take long to raise a litter from newborn to dinner. It also keeps the turnover quick so that you can have another litter right behind it waiting for production.

10. Rabbits make great pets.

You obviously won't be eating your breeders, and they will become your pets. (And if you can't bring yourself to eat the babies, then you will end up with LOTS of pets). Rabbits are really sweet and cuddly, and they make great pets. Our breeders love to be petted and held, wait for treats, and even free range in the backyard occasionally.

4 Reasons Not to Raise Meat Rabbits

1. Rabbits are cute!

The hardest part about raising rabbits for meat is that they are so adorable and sweet! I have to make an effort not to get attached to the babies. One of the best parts of raising rabbits is getting to see the entire life cycle, from hairless newborn and to first opening their eyes to learning to eat on their own and growing from hamster phase to full-size rabbit. It is enjoyable to be a part of, which makes it that much more difficult when it is time for them to become dinner. It makes it easier when you think that there is always another batch on the way to start the process over again!

2. Rabbits have a lot of bones.

Lots of little bones. The legs are good, and have a lot of meat on them without too many bones, but once you get to the back, you really have to be careful. Be especially cautious if you are feeding the meat to children!

3. They need daily attention.

They drink a lot of water and food, especially when you have an entire litter sharing a cage. Sometimes we even have to refill the food and water twice a day when they are close to processing age. For this reason, you can't take a trip without having someone to check on them regularly.

4. They have claws.

They have back claws that will draw blood if you try to pick them up. They are fine being petted, but once you lift their four feet off the ground, the hind legs start kicking and they only have one motive- to be put down again. For this reason, they are difficult to move or hold unless you handle them a lot when they are young. You may start off doing well with the socialization, but truth be told, soon they are multiplying too quickly to handle them all well enough to avoid getting scratched up every now and then.

Want a great rabbit recipe? Click on one of the recipes below!

Summer Fruit Smoothie

In Louisiana, August is almost unbearable. The air is so thick and heavy with humidity that walking feels like swimming, and gills may be necessary to breathe. That's why we eat so many summer fruit smoothies! I'm not exaggerating, we stock up on berries in the freezer all spring because we go through pounds of them making smoothies when the summer heat kicks in. Need this summer lift? It's super easy!

For this refreshing snack, all you need is ice, orange juice, frozen berries, and yogurt.

Chop up the ice and strawberries first so that you don't end up with any big chucks in your smoothie.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and and blend until smooth!

This smoothie makes the perfect refreshment after a hot summer day, or even as a light meal. It is the perfect blend of sweet and citrus, cool and thick, and berrilicious! I'm addicted!

Summer Fruit Smoothie Recipe
5 ice cubes
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, or a mix!
(my favorite is 1/2 cup each of blackberries and strawberries)

Blend the ice with strawberries (if you choose to use strawberries) using the ice cube mode. Once the pieces are smaller, add in the other berries, orange juice, and yogurt and blend together until smooth!

Rabbit Spaghetti Casserole Recipe (with a Cheesy Mushroom Sauce!)

Now that we are raising meat rabbits, I am seeing how many of my favorite recipes I can tweak to use rabbit instead of chicken or beef. I have a tried and true Chicken Spaghetti Recipe from my mom that I couldn't wait to make with rabbit! Spoiler alert- it comes out delicious!

I decided the easiest way to prepare the rabbit was to boil it the same way I usually do the chicken. After processing the rabbits, we freeze them whole in gallon size ziplock bags. All I had to do was thaw it in the refrigerator for a day and then boil it in a pot of water for twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes later the rabbit is done cooking. After letting it cool, I was easily able to pull the meat off of the bones without having to deal with all of the little bones in the rib cage. This turned out to be much easier than I thought, and it only took about 15 minutes to debone.

The sauce is easy to mix together on the stove- just saute the veggies in butter, mix in the cream of mushroom soup, melt in the Velveeta, and you're done.

 All of the ingredients mix together in a 9 x 13 pan with whole grain noodles. As you can see, one rabbit yielded just the right amount of meat, and you may be thinking to yourself, "Are you sure that's rabbit? It looks just like chicken!" Yes it does, and it tastes like it too.

Mix it all together. It may not look very appetizing (after all, it is a casserole), but trust me, it is amazing.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and you have an easy family meal that is healthy and tasty with your own homegrown meat!

 Rabbit Spaghetti Casserole with Cheesy Mushroom Sauce Recipe
1 whole rabbit
1/2 cup butter
1 green or red bell pepper
3 ribs celery
1 onion
2 jalapenos
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
12 oz. whole grain angel hair spaghetti noodles
12 oz. Velveeta cheese

Boil rabbit in a pot of water for 20 minutes on medium high heat. Once finished, debone the rabbit and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions. Chop the vegetables and saute them in butter in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the cream of mushroom soup and Velveeta to the vegetables and stir until completely melted and mixed together over low heat. Strain the spaghetti noodles and mix in to the sauce. Mix in the meat and put into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with grated cheese if desired. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I have been playing with lots of different cinnamon raisin bread recipes trying to find the perfect one! Most of the recipes I have found are for swirl breads, but they pull apart along the swirl when baking which allows hot air pockets to dry out the bread in the oven.

  I wanted a bread that was moist, sweet, and packed with raisins. Last week's attempt ended up going entirely to the chickens (they are always glad to get snacks when I fail!). But this weekend, I think I finally found the magic mix!

Put the warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it sit for ten minutes until the yeast is completely dissolved and frothy. If the yeast doesn't get bubbly and frothy, the yeast is old and will not rise in the dough later.

Knead the dough on a floured surface until you have a smooth dough with the flour mixed evenly throughout.

Place the ball of dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cotton cloth, and set in a warm moist place to rise for an hour and a half. For us in Louisiana in August, the back porch is the perfect place!

The dough should at least double in size if not more. As you can see, the dough that easily fir in the bowl before is now over flowing! Punch the dough down in the middle, separate into three loaves and place in greased loaf pans.

Cover the loaf pans and set them out covered to rise again for another hour.You can see here the amount that the dough will continue to rise over the next hour. 

 After baking the bread for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, you will know that the loaf is cooked all the way through if it sounds hollow when tapped on top.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe (makes three loaves)

1 cup warm water

5 tsp. active dry yeast

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup skim milk

2 cup raisins

4 cups white bread flour

4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tbsp. cinnamon

Put the warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it sit for ten minutes until the yeast is completely dissolved and frothy. Mix eggs, sugar, butter, salt, raisins, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add milk and the water and yeast mixture to the bowl. Mix in flour one cup at a time to form dough. Knead on a floured surface until a smooth dough is formed. Form dough into a ball and placed in a greased bowl, covered with a cotton cloth, in a warm moist place to rise for an hour and a half. Punch in dough, split into three equal parts, form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Set out the loaf pans covered to rise for another hour. Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You will know they are baked all the way through if they sound hollow when tapped on top. Freeze any loaves that you do not plan on eating immediately. Store loaf covered at room temperature.

Spring 2014 Garden Produce Review

Now that we have our new vegetable garden, we are trying a lot of new plants, experimenting with different ways to grow things, and have more space to play with producing our own food! We use growveg to do all of our garden planning and LOVE IT! If you haven't tried it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out, seriously.

Here was our spring garden layout:

We'll let you know how each plant did, any trouble shooting we had to do, and any changes we plan on making for next time. Just FYI, we are in south central Louisiana, which is a hot and humid Zone 9a. Our advice may not apply to your area!

Turnips:
# of Plants/Area: 2 sq. ft.
Produce: 1lb4oz
Prepared: Roasted and delicious!
Notes: This was our first time planting turnips, and I wasn't expecting much to happen. But we planted seeds on Feb. 1, and they did great!

Basil:

# of Plants/Area: 4 plants
Produce: 15 oz. dried and 7 cups fresh, More than we could handle!
Prepared: Basil Mint Pesto, Basil Parsley Pesto, Dried Basil
Notes: I started these plants from seed in pots. I spent most of the summer trying to figure out how to use our HUGE amounts of basil. I couldn't think of enough ideas to handle the volume!

Green Onions:
# of Plants/Area: 10 plants
Produce: Used all season without running out!
Prepared: Gumbo, baked potatoes, fresh veggie dip
Notes: We started these from leftovers we bought at the grocery store, and they have produced for us all season without running out. Find out how to start your own here. So simple!

 Parsley:
# of Plants/Area: 4 plants
Produce: 2 cups fresh
Prepared: Basil Parsley Pesto, Dried Parsley, Gumbo
Notes: I started these plants from seeds in pots. The parsley doesn't produce as much per plant as we use, so I will plant more next year!

Sunflowers:
# of Plants/Area: 5 plants
Produce: 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
Prepared: Basil Mint Pesto
Notes: I direct seeded these in the bed. They were more for attracting bees and giving the birds a snack than anything else. But it doesn't hurt to get a little produce from them as well!

Zucchini and Summer Squash:
# of Plants/Area: 5 plants
Produce: Yellow summer squash 15oz, Zucchini 7lb 13oz
Prepared: Zucchini lasagna, Carrot Zucchini bread, Zucchini Blueberry bread, Pickled zucchini, and sauteed Squash
Notes: I direct seeded these in the raised bed, and they all sprouted. If you have trouble with squash vine borers or powdery mildew on your summer squash plants, check out the posts we have for those issues.

Garlic:
# of Plants/Area: 8 plants
Produce: 3oz
Prepared: Minced
Notes: I started this garlic from grocery story leftovers. Find out how to start your own here. I was surprised what a good harvest I got from the spring, when garlic grows best when started in the fall. I will be growing this again!

Beans:
# of Plants/Area: Bush beans- 20, Pole Beans- 10, Soy beans- 12, Lima beans- 6
Produce: Bush beans- 8lb 3oz, Pole Beans- 4lb 3oz, Soy Beans- 2lb 6oz, Lima beans- 2oz
Prepared: Steamed, Pickled, Relish, Raw :)
Notes: The bush beans, pole beans, and soy beans had huge produce, but the lima beans must have not liked their spot. They never did get going, but I had more than enough beans from my other plants!

Radishes:

# of Plants/Area: 2 sq. ft.
Produce: 2 oz.
Prepared: Chopped up raw in salads
Notes: We aren't big radish eaters, but they are fun to grow because they mature so quickly. Besides, the rabbits LOVE the greens, so it's worth it to give them a treat.

Carrots:
# of Plants/Area: 4 sq. ft.
Produce: 3lb. 2oz.
Prepared: Steamed, Pot Roast Stew, Carrot Zucchini bread, Raw in salads
Notes: I will definitely plant more carrots next year! These were easy to grow and we eat a lot of carrots!

Mint:
# of Plants/Area: 6 plants
Produce: 2 cups fresh was all I used!
Prepared: Basil Mint Pesto
Notes: I was warned to plant this in a area where it could take over, and they were not kidding! We have more mint than we know what to do with, and I will be digging up a bunch to feed to the rabbits at the end of the season. I definitely won't plant more than one pot of this next year!

Blackberries:
# of Plants/Area: 20ft. row wild blackberry vines along the back fence
Produce: 7lb
Prepared: Blackberry lemonade, Summer Fruit Smoothies
Notes: We freeze gallon size bags of blackberries every spring, and they never make it through the year. They grow wild, and we love our blackberries!

Blueberries:
# of Plants/Area: 5 small bushes
Produce: 8oz.
Prepared: Blueberry pancakes, Blueberry Zucchini bread, Summer fruit Smoothies, Blueberry Jelly
Notes: We use about 20 lb. of blueberries a year and we usually pick them at a local blueberry farm. This was our first year to start a few bushes of our own, and we are looking forward to production picking up as they grow! Not bad for a first year though.

Cucumbers:

# of Plants/Area: 10 plants
Produce: 22lb. 11oz.
Prepared: Raw, In salads
Notes: More cucumbers than we could eat and give away! And they were so fresh :)

Tomatoes:
# of Plants/Area: 10 plants
Produce: 6oz
Prepared: Sun Dried Tomatoes
Notes: Out tomato plants did awful! Out of ten plants we only picked 5 tomatoes! I'm not sure what went wrong, but the flowers kept falling off before setting fruit. It's the first time I've ever had that problem. I'm disappointed, but will try again next year.

Beets:
# of Plants/Area: 1 sq. ft.
Produce: 1lb.
Prepared: Caramelized beets
Notes: This was our first time growing beets, and I was not sure what to expect, but was pleased with the produce and the taste.

Corn:
# of Plants/Area: 20 plants
Produce: 8oz
Prepared: steamed
Notes: The corn did not do well. I'm not sure if I planted too late, or if the soil wasn't deep enough, but it just never took off.

Peas:
# of Plants/Area: 4 sq. ft.
Produce: 1lb. 8oz.
Prepared: None of them made it out of the yard, we ate them all raw right in the garden!
Notes: There is nothing like fresh peas- they taste like candy!

My goal for the spring was 50lbs of produce, but our total came to 64.7lb! When we calculated the value (based on local grocery store prices) the total came out to $165.00 worth of produce we grew in our own backyard over the course of seven months!

How was your produce this past season? Any tips for getting more out of the area?

Yummy Apple Butter Bread

I LOVE apple butter! My husband and I went to Tennessee for our honeymoon and bought a jar of apple butter in this cool old general store we found in the Smokey Mountains. It was my first time trying apple butter, and I couldn't imagine what apple and butter combined would taste like. Little did I know that that there is no butter in it whatsoever! We ate the entire jar that week, and apple butter has always had a sentimental place in my kitchen ever since. I make my own apple butter, and you can find the recipe here. 

After seeing several recipes for applesauce bread on pinterest, I decided to combine a few recipes to make my own apple butter bread. I used half whole wheat flour in the recipe to keep it healthy, but all white flour could also be used.

This loaf was super easy to whip up and came out delicious! I am sure I will continue to play with the recipe (like adding chopped up apple pieces), but I am very pleased with how this one turned out. It is light, but very moist, and we have been enjoying it as a breakfast bread to go with our scrambled eggs. To me, it tastes like Christmas :) And when it is baking, the whole house smells like Christmas!

Apple Butter Bread Recipe:

1/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cup apple butter

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add in the egg and apple butter. Mix thoroughly. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the buts. 

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Let me know what you think! All this talk of food is making me hungry...I'm going to eat another slice now :)