Today we had a pretty nice day, the sun peaked out every once in a while, and the temperature was nicely warm. We can now see grass in our yard! The snow is still present in the far backyard but thankfully the front pastures and the garden have been uncovered.
Now we just wait for everything to dry out, as of now the pastures are like a swamp ( so is the garden). So anxiously awaiting it to dry out, to be able to plow the garden and beginning planting!!!
My mom came over today, which we always enjoy! She helped plant more seeds inside for starts. We talked about the garden and where to plant things. Got me excited to get out there and plant things. (Patience is not my strong suit!! HA)
Well to update you on more homestead things:
The meat chickens we have now are going to be 3 weeks old on the 19th. Three more weeks till butchering. Our layer chickens will be arriving in 2 weeks, and in about 3 or so weeks our second batch of 20 meat chicks will arrive! So live will be getting a whole lot more busy and a whole lot more noisy! HA! We are so looking forward to all of these animals coming and how blessed we feel that God is letting us take care of them and for us to be able to give thanks for the food He has given and provided for us.
This spring we are still thinking through if we will be adding to our goat herd with an addition of another doe or two. We are still thinking about this and nothing definite has been decided. ( But of course I'm leaning more toward the YES MORE GOATS!!! )
We have talked about so many other projects and goals we would love to do on our homestead! Tough to know they won't be all accomplished this year but will be keeping them on the list for the next few years.
Anyone else having any new additions to their homesteads?
Katie
Monday, March 16, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Warm days ahead
We are finally getting a bit of a break from this cold weather and snow! Today is suppose to be in the high 40's and we will even be up in the mid to high 50s another day this week! This gets me even more excited for the spring weather!
Now the garden won't be ready for weeks for sure! The snow needs to melt and then the garden needs to dry out. We need to put our fence up around the garden as well. ( which we can't do until he ground thaws).
But even with all that, my mind still wonders to warm days with dirt in my fingernails and the warm sun on my back as I plant the little seedlings that are sprouting in our dining room.
To see the boys outside running in the grass and the goats out in their pastures enjoying the first sweet blades of grass, they have longed for all winter.
(Molly- doe kid we will be keeping)
And the chickens who yearn for those emerging bugs from the freshly thawed dirt.
For the trees with their little buds emerging on their branches and preparing to break out their new green leaves for us all to see. The smell of the fresh dirt drying out from the snow that we had and the freshly plowed garden , ready to be brought back to life.
Spring is close , 12 days away to be exact! You can bet I am counting every one of those days down!
So as new life comes, some lives will leave. The coming month we will saying goodbye to our two buckling kids. We will be selling them. But look forward to our girl having more babies next spring/summer! So goes life on our little homestead!
Think Spring everyone, it's on its way!
What are some of our favorite things about spring?
Katie
Now the garden won't be ready for weeks for sure! The snow needs to melt and then the garden needs to dry out. We need to put our fence up around the garden as well. ( which we can't do until he ground thaws).
But even with all that, my mind still wonders to warm days with dirt in my fingernails and the warm sun on my back as I plant the little seedlings that are sprouting in our dining room.
To see the boys outside running in the grass and the goats out in their pastures enjoying the first sweet blades of grass, they have longed for all winter.
Molly and her mom (Clemmy)
(2 spot, Big Boy, Eli (my mom's goat), and Molly)
For the trees with their little buds emerging on their branches and preparing to break out their new green leaves for us all to see. The smell of the fresh dirt drying out from the snow that we had and the freshly plowed garden , ready to be brought back to life.
Spring is close , 12 days away to be exact! You can bet I am counting every one of those days down!
So as new life comes, some lives will leave. The coming month we will saying goodbye to our two buckling kids. We will be selling them. But look forward to our girl having more babies next spring/summer! So goes life on our little homestead!
Think Spring everyone, it's on its way!
What are some of our favorite things about spring?
Katie
Monday, March 2, 2015
Are we normal.....Yes!
As I re- read my one post on what we eat, it sounded like we weren't normal. Yes we like grass fed, beef, farm eggs, etc. Do we always eat this? No, we are just like everyone else! This food can be a lot more expensive and for good reasons, but we are on a budget that doesn't always allow for this. So yes, it is something we strive for, but we also have to think about the financial goals we have set as well.
We would like to pay our house off early............. like 15 yrs. early. So not all the foods we would like to buy we can. When we can get grass fed beef, organic chicken, etc. We do. It is a motivation for us, for when we don't have that mortgage payment the things and food we will be able to buy, and not feel like I'm robbing half my grocery budget to eat it now.
So, yes we are normal, and no we are not perfect,eating organic every night and day. I do try to buy stuff when it is deeply discounted (like manager specials on the organic meats and freeze them), or when I find a really great coupon and combine it with a sale going on. I also use coupons for products that aren't organic either.
I sometimes get myself down about not buying everything organic or grass fed, since I do know how good it is for you. Right now though is that time in our lives that we can't do that on a daily, weekly basis.
I do try to buy healthy though , but like I said as much as I can on a very tight food budget we have set. During the summer months, I do get a lot of my fruits/ veggies from farm stands and Root's markets( a large market with many food vendors with produce, etc.), and might try again this year to go to the produce auctions they have to get some more canning done.
So even if you can't buy organic, you can still have amazing meals buying local ingredients from local famers.
So, yes we are normal!
~ Katie
We would like to pay our house off early............. like 15 yrs. early. So not all the foods we would like to buy we can. When we can get grass fed beef, organic chicken, etc. We do. It is a motivation for us, for when we don't have that mortgage payment the things and food we will be able to buy, and not feel like I'm robbing half my grocery budget to eat it now.
So, yes we are normal, and no we are not perfect,eating organic every night and day. I do try to buy stuff when it is deeply discounted (like manager specials on the organic meats and freeze them), or when I find a really great coupon and combine it with a sale going on. I also use coupons for products that aren't organic either.
I sometimes get myself down about not buying everything organic or grass fed, since I do know how good it is for you. Right now though is that time in our lives that we can't do that on a daily, weekly basis.
I do try to buy healthy though , but like I said as much as I can on a very tight food budget we have set. During the summer months, I do get a lot of my fruits/ veggies from farm stands and Root's markets( a large market with many food vendors with produce, etc.), and might try again this year to go to the produce auctions they have to get some more canning done.
So even if you can't buy organic, you can still have amazing meals buying local ingredients from local famers.
So, yes we are normal!
~ Katie
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Yesterday as more snow came I decided to make the house nice and warm and bake some bread. I was in the mood for something sweet and cozy. So I looked for a recipe for cinnamon raisin bread. One of our favorites in our house. I found a recipe that I have never tried before but it didn't just make one loaf of bread....... It made 3!!! Even better, in my book!
So I thought I would share this recipe with you. The only thing I found tricky was to pinch the ends together. But that could have been because we put a ton of the filling in the middle! HA! I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did.
Here is the link to the recipe: Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did!
What is your favorite bread to make? Would love to hear and leave a link or recipe in the comments! I am always looking for new breads to try!
~ Katie
So I thought I would share this recipe with you. The only thing I found tricky was to pinch the ends together. But that could have been because we put a ton of the filling in the middle! HA! I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did.
Here is the link to the recipe: Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did!
What is your favorite bread to make? Would love to hear and leave a link or recipe in the comments! I am always looking for new breads to try!
~ Katie
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