You're not meant to be stressed out.

A friend recently came over to talk with me about a new book we are reading together, but we never really made it to the topic of the book ... instead we started talking about life. Being a mom of little people is HARD. Contentment? What's that? Nothing seems to be going like I want it to in my life right now. I feel completely out of control and chaotic all the time. After awhile she brought up something that she was once told when her kids were young: God gently leads those with young. It's true! You can look it up!

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

Sometimes I really wish God would put up a big flashing neon sign in my front yard so that when I woke up in the morning I could look out and I would know exactly what I was supposed to do with my day. He doesn't do that of course, but that doesn't mean he isn't leading me - showing me what to do.

Let me give you an example: I teach private lessons out of my home studio. And it's not an easy job like some might think. Sure, I go to work by stepping out of my house into my renovated garage and my children are just a closed door away. And yes, I get to set my own schedule and my own fees. And of course, I adore music, so it's pretty awesome that I can do it for living... but it's not just those things... it's also really hard to be away from my kids when they get home from school and need help with homework and a snack and chores. I am not always able to know what my week's schedule will be because students have their own scheduling problems. And I work so hard to build a solid studio, but I can't control who signs up and who stays for the long-haul. And it can be really discouraging at times... especially when my enrollments aren't where I want them to be! This year has been a lot of that last part: discontentment with my enrollments. Last week I had a brand new student - who hadn't even attended her first lesson - quit!

But you know what?
That very same day I received an email from a current parent, thanking me for being an amazing teacher to her daughter! So... what's the take-away from that? Well... maybe it's that I AM NOT IN CHARGE of who comes through that studio door. And maybe the amount of students that I have is exactly the amount that I should have. Because maybe the key to contentment is to not be stressed out! The way things are now, I can still be with my kids several days of the week to read to them and bake muffins for them and help them vacuum the carpet.

It's not a flashing neon sign but I think I have finally "seen the light!" God is gently leading. He guides the circumstances, closing some doors and opening others. He is reminding me that this is just a chapter of my life. Right now my children are young. They need me too. Maybe someday I will have a huge studio with tons of students. But right now I have been given the gift of still doing what I love, while being able to easily continue in my roll of stay-at-home mom! Working and being a Mom doesn't have to be hard. If God is being gentle with me ... maybe he doesn't want me to be stressed out. Maybe he wants me right where he has me. Doing this. And being okay with it.

So if you are someone with young and you feel out of control and frustrated with what you are doing day-to-day, look for the ways that God is gently leading you. I truly believe that he is putting you in the places you need to be to help you focus on the important stuff.


Just yesterday (one of my non-teaching days!), while working on canning applesauce, I looked out my window and saw my oldest (12) with my youngest (1) taking a walk with a buddy and the stroller. I didn't ask him to do it. He loves his baby brother and he has learned how to make him happy when mom is busy (like when I am teaching!) and he is able to take care of him for me. What more could I ask for? I can be a teacher. I can be a mom. And our family is learning how to make it work.

Thank you, God, for gently leading me to the students I should have, to the schedule I need, and for showing my children how they can love each other and help me and Daddy do what needs to be done. Thank you for being gentle with me. And thank you for helping my children to be gentle with each other. You're a good, good Father.
Make me a good Mother.

How to Raise Baby Chick[en]s

It's baby chick time here at our house! Last year around this time we picked up 10 little girls to begin our very own Backyard Flock! Raising chickens has been on our minds for quite awhile. Being that we live in-town, there isn't a lot we can do to farm out our property, but what we can--we will! And we are allowed to have up to 10 chickens as long as there aren't any noisy roosters in the bunch! We did a lot of research before starting the process.

The website that was most helpful to us was http://www.backyardchickens.com/.

I encourage you to visit the site if you are interested in starting your own. Here are some of the things that we had to figure out when we were getting ready ...

We researched the different breeds and decided on Golden Sex Link because they do well in cold weather and are consistent egg layers. Plus my hubby really wanted to have brown eggs and these girls can do that! Some are even speckled, which is kinda cool looking.

We had to gather supplies -- we picked out a container for them to live in [brooder box]. We decided to use a large tub. We clipped a heat lamp above the tub at the height that allowed us to keep the tub at the right temperature. We used an outdoor thermometer to help keep things regulated. We found a waterer that attaches to a canning jar (which you know I have tons of!) and were able to borrow this chick feeder from my brother-in-law and sister. The chicks live on top of (2-inch deep) pine shavings to keep them warm and relatively clean. 

The baby chicks need to live indoors for at least 2 months before they can begin to be transitioned outside. As they grew we attached a screen on top of the tub to keep them from getting out. The lamp was moved higher and higher as they grew and didn't need the temperature as hot. Every day we checked their water and food. We gave our chicks a starter feed that is made in the hatchery we purchased them from. We like their feed because the medicine they add is herbal instead of artificial.

Here is a good summary of what you need to know when raising chicks for the first time!

Next time -- Raising Teenage Chickens!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection

If you have been reading our posts for awhile, you may remember a couple years back we shared some tips and ideas for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have to be honest (sorry sisters!) but even these tips did not solve my cookie struggles. When I bake the much-desired choco-chip cookies at my house, I always cringe. They are just greasy and flat and crunchy and just NOT what I was craving.

My kids still eat them and so does the hubby, but I am just not satisfied.

So for awhile now I have been trying many varieties and methods with inconsistent results.

That is, until today.

I am a new woman.

If you are like me and you are an epic failure in the world of choco-chip-cookie baking, you have GOT to go to this website and read the whole thing. And look at the pictures. She has awesome pictures.

And then after you do that... bake her cookies.

Design Mom's 
Version of the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 5 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for another minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in two or three additions, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips using a silicone spatula or the mixer on low speed.

Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches of room between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Watch a Caterpillar become a Butterfly

A friend recently posted on FB that she'd brought in three swallowtail caterpillars and her family was watching them go through the incredible process of metamorphosis to become butterflies.  Her post reminded me of the times I've done this with my children, back in the day when all three were younger and still at home.  We've been successful twice, with monarch caterpillars both times!

Here are a few posts from my former blog describing the process:

Meet Tony and Bella.  

They've done it!

and finally,

They're free!





I'm sure you can find a lot of info online about doing this, or in a book you have already sitting on your shelves (this is a great one).

It's not all that complicated really -- the main thing is to observe the plant that the caterpillar is on before you bring it in the house -- that will tell you what food to provide for your temporary resident.  Our monarchs were happily munching away on my butterfly weed (also known as "orange glory flower" or asclepias tuberosa) which is a type of milkweed.  As you probably know, caterpillars love milkweed.

Find yourself an unused, clean jar (mason, mayonnaise, spaghetti sauce, etc.) with a tight-fitting lid and put your new friend in it with a handful of leaves and a stick or two for it to crawl on and eventually make it's chrysalis on.  (Although actually in the case pictured here, the caterpillar attached itself to the underneath of the jar lid!)  Punch a few holes in the lid for airflow.  And of course you'll need to replenish the food every day or whenever the caterpillar eats what you put in the jar.

The only sorta gross part of this process is that your caterpillar will do a lot of going-to-the-bathroom and it will all fall to the bottom of the jar.  It's basically a poop-making machine for the next little while...


It could take a few days or longer for the chrysalis to form -- it all depends on how long into the process your little friend was before you adopted him or her.  In this case pictured here it was only 2 days from when we put the first caterpillar into the jar to when the chrysalis was formed!  The part where they go from caterpillar-clinging-to-a-stick to shiny green chrysalis is soo cool!  Hopefully you can actually watch that part.

The butterfly will emerge in 10-14 days.  Put the jar outside when the chrysalis breaks open and watch the miracle occur!


It may be a bit late for all of you for this year-- but keep this idea in mind for next year!

And if you can't find a caterpillar in your own backyard, here is a place where you can order a "butterfly rearing" kit online.  

For Mommies.

Lord, Help me remember, when I feel it's a chore
the time will come when I'll hold her no more
asleep on my chest, the crib refused
the blanket, the pacifier, gone unused.
What better place is there to lay her head
than against my heart, my arms her bed?

For infants grow up and leave us behind
with only memories left to remind
us of midnight walking and predawn rocking,
of soft, helpless babies unable to sleep.

So, Lord, make me patient and keep me awake
while I cradle this child, and don't let me take
for granted the moments I spend in the night
with this ~ Your gift, my joy, my delight.
~Jan Dunlap

A friend shared this with me recently and it was very encouraging to me.

I hope it also helps you!!!

She Travels: Update

Quick personal note -- due to my husband's sabbatical leave this semester, my family (well, the 3 of us not in college that is) has the opportunity to spend some time abroad!  This is very exciting for us as we love to travel and be in other places.  We'll be in the northeast of England, living in a small flat on the campus of a major university. 

I hope to post "notes from abroad" here and there and/or continue to contribute to She Who Makes as I can.  Living somewhere other than home always provides opportunities for improvising and creativity and perhaps I can share some of what I learn during this particular adventure!

-- Emily (the sister who likes to live in different places)