another canning day

      Well I had gotten the canning itch again! :) So yesterday I canned some baked beans for the first time! They are soooo good! Totally recommend trying it!  I also canned a few jars of mixed veggies for soup. And last but not least canned some chicken stock because I always run out!

        I am excited to be reading the book Country Skills by Alison Candlin. This is now my all time favorite book! I know you all will love this book as well!

 Here are the chapters:

Starting Out
Calendar of Seasonal Tasks
Growing Vegetables
Growing Fruit
Directory of Pests and Diseases
Keeping Animals
Food from Nature
Preserving your produce
Water and Energy Conservation

      Now can you see why I am in love with this book!  I would totally recommend getting this book! There are so many ideas and it gets me so excited to get more land and the ability to get animals!  But for now I will be doing the things in the book that I can do!  So if you want a great read with lots of wonderful information! Check this book out!


     Do you have any books you just love about homesteading or self-sufficency you would recommend? I would  love some new ones to read!

Have a wonderful day!


~Katie

update

Since it has been a little since I have posted last , I thought I would update you on what is going on at our little homestead. Last Saturday/ Sunday we prepared our raised beds for planting. Kyle and I planted carrots, two kinds of lettuce, our sugar snap peas and some potatoes. We also put in two new blueberry bushes (since our dog ate the last two!).

We also finished up splitting Happy's rabbit cage into two cages so we could fit smokey outside with her. It looks great and we used things we had laying around the house and shed to make it so didn't cost us a thing! Love when that happens! :)

We have also gotten the opportunity to bottle feed some baby boar goats for a lady who works with my husband. The boys love it! I will share pics soon ! We are so excited about this opportunity to work with the same kind of goats we are wanting to raise! So blessed! Kyle really wants to show one now at our fair! haha


I am planning on doing some canning this week/weekend. Also getting some canning ham recipes since Easter is just around the corner and I'm sure there are going to be some awesome sales!  I am hoping to get some baked beans canned, chicken broth, dried beans, and a sausage soup.

Any canning recipes you think I should try? I would love some new ones to try!


I hope everything is going great on your homesteads!


God Bless,

Katie

Great giveaway!!

Head on over to Kendra at New Life on a homestead blog. She is giving away this book! So head on over for a chance to win. Also stick around and check out her awesome blog! Here is her link:

Newlifeonahomestead.com

Good luck!!

~ Katie

Love for animals

Today we went and picked up another member for our family.  The new member is a mini lop ear bunny. We have named it Smokey. We are so thrilled to have it here. Will be nice company for our rabbit Happy.

As I sit here and watch Kyle play, pet and talk to Smokey. It makes me so thrilled that he has such a love for animals. I was/ still very much am ( just ask my husband!) an animal lover. All kinds but mostly farm animals. It reminds me of when I was younger how you couldn't drag me away from the neighbors cows, horses, emu, ect. I wanted to be around animals all the time! My mom will tell you stories! haha


He is excited to maybe show Smokey at our local fair this year and that we maybe breeding our other rabbit Happy this year. He really wants to have baby bunnies around here to take care of!


I am just thrilled God has given Kyle such a love and passion for taking care of His Creators.  He will be such a good helper when we get our farm and have more animals to take care of.


Okay just a proud mommy post :) Hope you are all  getting ready for spring! I have been  in cabin fever mood lately.  As my hubby would say " you were having cabin fever when it got 33 degrees out!  hahaha


So true I am ready to get into the dirt and having my windows open ,watching the warm breeze moving the curtains in such a elegant and peaceful way. Watching the boys play in their dirt pile ( every boy needs a dirt pile! ), and watching our seeds start sprouting through the dirt.  Okay , I am a little excited about spring coming. haha

I hope you are all doing well! What is new on your homesteads ? Any new projects or maybe new members of your homesteads? I would love to hear about it!


~Katie\

P.S ~  Pictures will be coming soon of  Smokey!

Distractions

     I don't know about you, but life sure throws a lot of distractions  my way. Busy schedules that we just keep adding too, school things for the kids,( Oh no it's your snack day! haha) , adding more and more on your plate sometimes, media (facebook( I am a frequent person on there! :) , tv, ect. I forget to slow down and live the simply life that I love so much and want for my family .

     Today was such a relaxing day! I went out to breakfast with my mom and my sister. We then went to a fabric store ( I am not good at sewing at all, I can do buttons!!! ha) , but I got fabric to make a table runner and some place mats . I am really wanting to learn to sew. I see it as something relaxing that I can do to have time to think, pray and just listen to God.  Something to take me away for a little from all the distractions life throws my way.  Do any of you sew? What are your favorite things to make?? Any tips for a newbie?

Here is a picture of the fabric I got at the store:

This is what my mom bought for the boys room. They love it! ( Okay I admit it , I am a weebit jealous):

         I am going to work on not having so many distractions in my life  ( and learning to say NO to things, really hard for me!)  . Spending more time with my kids, my husband and just living that quiet ( as much as it can be with two boys running down the hallway making train whistle noises!) , and enjoy all the blessings God has given my family and I. Thanking Him for this wonderful life we have and for the future plans He has for us!

So I just want to encourage all of you to slow down. Put those distractions away for an hour or two, and do something you love or try something new! Have that time for you and your family as well!

Remember to enjoy the simple things in life! Don't forget to stop by the 100th Barn Hop over at New Life On a Homestead!

~Katie

the end of our 1st week

Well in a couple day we will be ending our first week eating naturally. I know I have missed days of telling you meals and photos. I apologize but life became a little hectic! haha So I will try better to do this next week. I am pretty happy with how the week has been going. We have had a fruit and veggie everynight , like I said before we have always done this, but I have tried doing them in different ways.

Week #2  I think will once again be pretty easy since all we drink at home is water, hot tea, coffee and rarely  juice.  ( week 2 is only water , coffee, tea and 1 glass of juice for the week, coffee and tea can only be sweetened with natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and honey)


I have been already starting to ween myself off of the sugar in my coffee so it won't be so hard!  ( I love me some coffee with sugar and milk!) The hubby is on a business trip this coming week so I am reminding him of the rules! haha We shall see when he gets back how he did.


I am trying to work researching recipes that have no sugars in them, but substitutes like applesauce, ect. Does anyone have any really good recipes like this, breads, muffins, cookies? Anything would be great!


Last but not least! (sorry for all the rambling! I have a lot on my mind! haha)

I am working on a post of a movie I just saw: Farmageddon. Have any of you seen it? I will be writing about my thoughts on this movie ! That will be coming Saturday I am hoping! Can't wait to hear other's views on this movie!

Hope you all have an amazing day!!

~Katie

canning up a storm

Yesterday I canned the apples, which I made into applesauce. I also can't white potatoes, and last I canned a pineapple :) Here are some pics of my adventures :


These are the clementines and tangelos that I canned lastnight: Can't wait to try them!

The finished products!

Has anyone else canned anything this week or month? I would love to hear about it!  Have a great day!


~ Katie