Hmmmmm-
I need a distraction so I guess I will trek out to the chicken coop to start. Its 9pm and this is just one of the many nightly chores around Stellar View Farm that need my attention. Its getting dark finally which means my egg laying girls have finally put themselves to bed on their roosting perches. I could go and spend an hour watching the new baby chicks and ducklings too. Since their arrival less than a week ago we have all been enamored with their presence. They are so busy with their miniature hourly missions of eating, drinking sleeping, playing and pooping. I love to watch them though, and get lost in their curiosities. Everything is new to them in their explorations.
Now that our first flock is almost one year old we are much more relaxed with this second batch of fledglings. Its kind of like how Tod and I were with our kids. Riley, our second born boy was allowed to cry in his crib just a little longer, he maybe experienced far less diaper changes than his older sister (We changed Lauren even when she was still dry) and was dressing himself way before his sister ever attempted that benchmark on her own. What I mean to say is that with Riley we didn't hover as much as we did with our first born Lauren. It is not to say that he got any less love or attention, but we learned that his threshold and tolerance for care did not require us to knit pick every little detail of his activity and needs. I have learned that the new baby chicks don't need to have hourly temperature checks (young chicks require a heat lamp and constant warmth in the 90 degree range for the first few weeks) Its much easier for me to see now that they are just fine as long as they have the essentials.
Ah, now see I have diverted myself this evening and by keeping busy with other tasks I completely forgot about the chocolate goodness I was craving so much like a total addict. I even accomplished setting the rest of the tomato cages out on the garden tonight and inspected all the new growth of the veggie sprouts that have been soaking up the sunshine we have experienced over the past few days. If this is all it takes to keep me out of the sweets I think that I shall get quite a bit done this summer. Seeing that my food loving tendencies almost always involve some sort of sweetness. It really would have been no big deal for me to scoop a handful of those morsels out to savor and enjoy, but then I wouldn't be able to use then in my plans for cookies and no-bakes this coming weekend. Now on to more diversion tactics and thoughts....
The kids have just over a week of school left, I am full swing into my job at Blackstar, and our Farm is really starting to come together thanks mostly to a hard working hubby and daddy named Tod. There are so many things to look forward to with summer just moments away. The landscape of my home will be transforming into a food lover's paradise over the next few weeks and months. I can hardly wait to tell you my stories of my excitement to be living a dream come true. I am a true believer in an ability to achieve your dreams. Every single experience I have had up until this point in my life may not seem like it is all tied into my passions for food and becoming a mama, a chef, a teacher and a motivator, but I can clearly see now why I had to live through the good, the bad and the ugly to be prepared for where I am today, and to be successful too.
Its this awareness that helps me through every new decision and task that I face. Its a lot easier to sort through all the opportunities and know which ones are going to give me the results and happiness I am looking for. I am doing exactly what I always dreamed I could and would do. I am thankful for all the love and support from family and friends. I can really feel it and that gives me a strong foundation to follow through with 100% determination in all I aim to achieve. Even deciding to stay out of the chocolate chips tonight and having the ability to redirect myself and sustain some sort of will power comes from understanding that eating them will not give me the results I am looking for. Whether it be needing my clothing to still fit tomorrow or for the cookies that I know I want to make to celebrate among family and friends. It will taste so much better to eat them among friends anyways!
