Note to all French speakers: I'm quite sure that tres fromage is not an accurate translation for very cheesy, but it's late, and I'm too lazy to pull up an actual translator online, so it'll have to do. To use a very bad pun...pardon my French.
Well, we got another order of...can you guess....I'm sure it will be a huge surprise...could it be....
CHICKS!!!!
I'm only putting the text in bold and adding exclamation points for my sweet husband's sake. He's ALWAYS excited to get chicks. I was rather disconsolate at the idea of raising out yet another batch of broilers* when Robert so thoughtfully tried to cheer me up with the pronouncement that I really would be happy about this when the freezer was full of chicken. I responded rather sulkily that it was 10 long weeks until that happened. Nonetheless, we are actively taking care of our newest little brood and all is going quite well, despite my earlier whinyness.
*Broilers are chickens grown for meat-as opposed to layers grown for eggs. We purchase Cornish-Rock crosses that grow astonishingly quickly, have fewer feathers for easier plucking, and are dumb as rocks. Have you ever seen the movie Chicken Run? These chickens are hypnotically drawn to feed just like the birds in the movie. Some people have lovingly nicknamed them Frankenstein birds... I guess you just have to see them waddle, I mean walk, to get the comparison.
The cutest little chicken handler in all of Arkansas! We can only hope and pray that the little chickie survived.
Oh no! Sam has intense competition for cutest chicken handler! It's hard to believe that cute little chick will soon be one of the Frankenstein birds...it looks so normal.
We surely won't insult Andrew with the dreaded "c" word used above. I'm just happy I got him smiling this time instead of the my-puppy-just-got-ran-over look he had on his face last time!If you feel the need to compare the two pictures, click here:http://crackercountry.blogspot.com/2009/07/baby-chicksrandom-pics.html
Benny has decided that at the ripe old age of 11, he needs to smile very discreetly.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O.K., on to the next project. As part of our desire to be self sufficient, Robert wants us to start learning to cook on an open fire. He was a very good example and made the first meal for us. We enjoyed delicious chili without using electricity or propane, and the weather was perfect for an outdoor meal cooked over the fire. I made beef stew the next night, and it turned out very well. The biscuits didn't. I'm going to have to work on figuring out how hot a pan actually is before I try biscuits over the fire again! Well, a few days later, I woke up to my precious son, Daniel, cooking breakfast over the fire for his little brothers and sister.
Yummy eggs and grits.
He even had them set the table and everything! I was very impressed, and very appreciative.
Posts
17 comments:
Oh, bless you!! This (1) of your adoring fans checks back frequently and has heart palpatations when she sees an update! Pardon your French, but I believe you have labeled your picture, "very cheese", which is okay (muy queso) by me.
Well, I'll tell you, I can't be the tie breaker in the "cutest chicken handler in Arkansas" contest -- I am biased toward BOTH of them! And I'll use the "c" word -- Andrew, you are sooo cute!!
(even though your smile seems to cause you pain -- still, it is a little less discreet than Benny's!)(you are sooo cute, too, Benny!)
I was remembering back . . . oh, about 20 - 22 years, when Robert helped me cook breakfast for a high school camping retreat. We did it all over a primative fire; in fact, every meal that weekend was over the fire! So, I guess the Arkansas Millers aren't the first! Pretty good meals, too!
Please tell Daniel that we are very impressed, also. What a sweetie! He always manages to elicit that response from his grandmother.
Thanks for the update -- not as good as a real visit, but very, very heartening! (Oh, please "process" the chickens before they reach "heart attack" stage!)
Love,
Grandmother,
who is wondering where
Sweet Facie Rachel was
on this post, hmmmmm...????
Mama, Rachel is right there at the table, unbrushed hair and all!
Love,
Katie
Cute post with cute faces, even up to you Benny! Daniel is such a good kid and is so good with the younger kids. We miss ya'll, let's get together soon!
Love,
Ashley
I am glad to see ya'll are alive and having so much fun! The chicks and the children are sooo cute! Rob likes the idea of cooking on a fire. It's like camping all of the time and we all know that camping food always taste so good!!
Kelly
Excuse me, Who said your children could grow up?? :) :) Samuel and Joey have gotten so big!
Benny starting to look just like the older boys. :)
Samuel wasn't allowed to grow up either. He's supposed to always be a little boy. :)
Glad your family is alive and well. God Bless Y'all! :)
Rachel.
Yes, all those chickens in the freezer will be worth it!
All those chick handlers are adorable!
That was so sweet of Daniel to make breakfast. That is such a "Daniel" thing to do!
That is great that you are learning to cook on an open fire ~ I am sure certain things (like biscuits) can be difficult!
Love and miss everyone!
Molly
Amen, amen and amen!!! To the Frankenstein Chickens. We just butchered ours not long ago. They're very sad to watch when they get big and clumsy.
Daniel, your just a huge blessing!! You'll make a fine husband some day.
We've been talking about building a canning kitchen outside with the wood burning stove. I think it's a great idea, but it does take alot of creativity to get the heat just right, I suppose. Thank the Lord for my girls that have alot more patience than me!!
Love all the pics of all the littles growing up. Hopefully we'll get to see them when we come up.
Love ya,
Tina
Well, it would appear that you have at LEAST SIX adoring fans!
I really enjoy keeping up with y'alls activities. I think one day real soon I'm gonna have to make the change to being a "full time camper".
Somewhere I have a chart that tells how many "briquets" to add above & below a dutch oven to adjust the temperature. I'll see if I can find it & send it to you.
Thanks for another wonderful post!
Love,
Terrie
Hey Katie,
Another fan here. I do check the site often just don't always take the time to send you a comment. I love all the chicks. Hope is about to have her own little chicks. So we are looking for pointers from the millers. Thanks for sharing. If possible when you get time could you send me you physical address?? My email is davidlainfamily@gmail.com.
Thanks and have a great day!!!
Yup, I'm a fan too but don't always comment. Love all the chicken handler pics. Love to see how the boys pitch right in there and help with everything. You have a great family.
#11 here.
Aunt Katie, you're SO funny!! :)
I've always loved raising broilers! As dirty, stinky, clumsy, and ugly as they are, they are probably some of my favorite birds to raise. Them and Rhode Island Reds. :)
Good job, Daniel! :D :D That breakfast looks goooooood! :)
Love,
~Kitty~
Hey there! The delinquent Aunt is finally trying to cooment again. I really do read the posts, it's just that right as I finish glancing through one, lo and behold! I am turned into a restaurant! Amazing phenonemon!
Katie, you surely had me laughing! It's great that you all are trying out your self-sufficiency experiments before the next ice storm ;) I imagine biscuits WOULD be difficult, despite all the hollywoodized visions of cooking them over an open fire. It's hard enough to get fluffy bicuits in an oven.
Thanks for posting the sweet pictures even if they were taken on a phone cheesy oui?
I love you!
Beth
-- who just skips over all those French phrases when reading Agatha Christie's Poirot. Perhaps I should make and effort to be more literate...hmmm...
Hallo!
Great post!
We too have done broilers in the past, and were intending to do them again this year, aber wedding preparations for my dear sister and her wonderful husband rather made that impossible. Besides, we need to seriously refurbish our pens.
I agree that camp cooking is way better than einge ander way of preparing food!
I had pork Saturday at a living history/reenactment - cooked over an open fire. Delicious! That and dutch oven baked sweet tater mash (?) were the best!
Hope y'all enjoy your chicks and camp cooking!
~Johann
P.S. What type of chickens are those? We raise(d) Cornish Cross.
Lovin the chick pics!! Now, take that phone and give us some pics of the wrecked vehicle. I know we will once again be reminded of the mercies of our Lord. Kati, it was so good talking to you the other night. Keep up the pioneering spirit while yer bones are still good, it makes me tired just hearing about it. Lord, give us all some more strength!!!Love yall, the Stokesies:}
Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
http://whoisbeatrix.blogspot.com
Yes, Andrew did look slightly downcast in the last picture. Just think if you hadn't ordered more chicks you wouldn't have known how happy he is to have them. :)
I chuckled at your comment about Benny smiling discretely now that's he's 11.
So you're trying the campfire cooking thing, too. Are you just doing the open fire or do you have a dutch oven?
That accident must have really been scary. Thanks to the Lord you're okay.
Elisabeth
Post a Comment