A chicken's time.

We killed our first chickens yesterday. It was not Dave's first killing, but for me... a first.

We ordered the meat and egg combo expecting mostly roosters and some good laying hens. While chicken killing wasn't necessarily on the top of my "to-do list" I do like the idea of being able to provide meat for my family in the event that I NEED to. What we did not expect is that we would get ALL hens and that the meat birds would be sooo terribly large. There were 2 of them that were particularly pathetic. They could barely get to the roost, moving in general seemed to be such a pain and so we decided that it was their "time", which would've been much earlier had they been roosters.

I was surprised by how clean and quiet the whole process was. They had been put up for the entire day and had no protest to being strung up by their feet when the time came. We opted to skin them instead of plucking and the cleaning was far less "gross" than I had imagined as well. Revealing those huge, beautiful, fresh, chicken breasts was amazing. Like something I would buy at Kroger, but 100x better. I had fed them, put them up at night, let them out in the morning, carried them water when theirs had frozen, they are our chickens and they provided us with a very nutritious dinner, their way of giving back.

Last night was chicken roast. Tonight is chicken gumbo. We still have an entire chicken resting in the fridge. All of that equals lots of money in the long run and the taste of these chickens are far superior to any I could buy.

I'm trying to convince myself. Can you hear it?

Jackson is staying here all week in Nicholasville. After this week he will be back to the school routine of staying with g,randparents for 3-4 days out of the week and honestly it kills me. Since I am being honest: At first it wasn't so bad (he was a screaming, "difficult", infant at first and it seemed as if we could do nothing right by him) but now I really "like" my child. I always loved him, he was mine and so I felt I had to, but now I really do. He is far more reasonable and works with us towards common goals... much better. I know in the beginning it was all a pain for him too which is why he cried so much and still.... My poor "new momma" brain had such a hard time with it all.

Picture time: Because I am feeling up to it-->




Jackson in his great mamaw's cabinets eating a biscuit from breakfast. They watch him during the week when my parents are at work and his great grandparents have gotten so involved and attached... I am convinced that it is the time spent with a child that make them so dear to your heart.













A happy momma and her son enjoying a day of no school, no work, and mostly play....Jackson Daniel is such a joy.