Snow, Chickens, and Ground Beef- Oh My!

The boys and I have been enjoying the last bits of snow around our house. Well, the boys have been enjoying it! I have been cringing over the mud and trying to remain thankful (Mud must come before flowers! Mud must come before dips in the pool! Thank you, Lord for mud!) For the past few days, we have spent around 2hrs. each day outside, just playing around.

The man who lives next door is this quiet Mennonite guy who JUST recently started talking to me (we have lived here 1.5 yrs!!) He is so tickled that the boys love to play on the piles of snow he makes with his tractor when he plows our driveway and his. The boys found this neat pile of snow to sit on. Matthew kept calling it a mushroom. Then, they wanted to eat the mushroom! Uuugh. I think despite every parent's effort to dissuade their children from eating snow, they will do it! I have to remember I have fond memories of playing in (and eating!) snow while I was growing up, and I am still alive and kicking.

After we came in and had lunch, we went into the living room to play. Matthew shouted, "Mama, there are two chickens running around the yard!" Normally, if our chickens are let out, they are, well, CHICKEN. They just stay out back, near their coop and peck around. These two are a bit different, though. They are the two meanest roosters, both Auracanas, and they were chasing each other around and around. It was so hilarious! I knew they were being mean and I was glad I was inside, but, boy I needed a laugh! All of us started laughing at the fool chickens. I did manage to get some video footage of them fighting each other, although I didn't get the initial chase scene. They went around and around in circles, waddling faster and faster. This is our entertainment in the country! :D

On other news, I have been very busy with lots of secret research on the internet... I cannot divulge it all right now, but it might prove to be pretty exciting for the family! (What a cliffhanger, huh??)

Now, I must go and brown up a huge package of ground beef. It has been staring at me in the sink for a few hours and it is rather intimidating. I think it is about 14lbs! Dave got a great deal at our local discount store. I am going to do something I have never done before and brown up a quanitity of meat and package it in 1 lb. containers so that I will be prepared for future meals. Ah, preparation. It is a good thing!