Spring Break is here...

We started our spring break with a Saturday at Merit Badge University and a Jazz Festival Contest.   Dan took Em to perform on the piano with her jazz band Saturday morning and I took our middle boy up to New Mexico State University to work on his climbing merit badge.  It took all day for him to complete it.  They went up on the mountain to do the climbing and repelling and fulfill the requirements for this.  

While he was on the mountain I spent time visiting with other moms and some scout leader friends from a variety of troops in the southwest area that I have met over the past 12 years of our time in scouting.  I also wandered around the campus a bit to check out the farm animals.  It is an agriculture and livestock school to a large degree.  I loved the sheep!  They have been lambing over the past few weeks and the lambs are all so sweet.  The different breeds and coloring on each are fascinating.  This particular photo was taken during a feeding time so they are lining up to eat in the trough.  They are used for trials for masters and doctorate students to use.  I learned that you can keep four sheep for every one cow in the spaces provided and that many trials are done on sheep instead of cows.  The information transfer to cattle application works because they are so similar that they get valid results for both animals.  I had a great time just watching sheep and visiting.  It was nice to have the down time.

On Sunday we attended church, ate at Dan's parents and then went to see Son of God on post at the Grand Theater.  I love going on post.  The boys always gravitate toward the giant chess board.  They are so funny carrying those giant pieces around to make a play! 

We woke to temps in the upper 30's and lower 40's this morning.  It has been a bit cooler the last few days and it has been nice.  The heat will be here soon enough.  

The chickens are back to laying daily... at least the three that are not BROODY!  Our two Australorps are broody now and we are contemplating some baby chicks to shove under them to draw them out.  We wanted to add a chick or two this season anyway so this might work out for us.  The only problem is that we need girl chicks because we are not allowed to have a rooster in the city limits.  I am not sure how to handle it if I have to take a chick back and make "Mama" mad that her baby is gone.  I will need to talk to the chicken guy out at the feed store to see what he recommends and go from there.

Aren't these eggs beautiful?!?!  

Dan (and two of our boys) and a guy that works at our church (landscaping guy) started a walkway in our front yard this morning.  They knocked out the border this morning and will lay in the sheets of flagstone tomorrow.  Dan has been saving up money to get this done and I am so glad to see some curb appeal work being done so soon.  I say soon... we have only been in this house for 11 years now.  LOL  I mean soon because of how fast we were able to save up to do it once we made a plan.

So, we have only just started our week and have been super hard at work it seems.  I don't plan that every day is this busy over the break but I did knock out some laundry and deep cleaned on the kitchen some this morning.  I also made laundry detergent and made a grocery run so we can eat the rest of the week.

I am still working through some study materials with the Good Morning Girls and the If:Equip groups as well as staying on my caffeine, gluten and sugar fast.  It seems to be taking some time to detox this time but I am not miserable like I have been in years past when I have done this.  I am still having the achy-ness and headaches but they are tolerable.  It helps to eat really nourishing food and drink lots of water through this process.

The rest of the week holds some gardening chores and chicken coop cleaning and relocating.  I need to fix my Adirondack chair and repaint it for a new season.  There will also be sewing and crochet and reading.... those things I truly enjoy so they are not like work to me.

I will keep you posted on the chick situation.  LOL  You might get a recipe or two this week, too.  I am still cooking and baking all the time.  I need to discipline myself to write things down and share them with you.

Are you on spring break this week?  

What are you working on in your time off?  

I would love to hear!

Homesteading Devotional E-Book... a review

I recently received an electronic copy of this charming devotional booklet.  Susie Shock is the homestead blogger over at Our Simple Farm.  The blog is loaded with lots of great tutorials, videos and encouragement for the modern day Christian homesteader.

This e-book contains 15 heartwarming devotionals complete with lovely photography, scripture verses, personal testimony, a closing prayer and a homestead recipe for each day.  Susie opens up her life and heart in each devotional to encourage us through the daily trials and tribulations of being a wife, mother, woman and homesteader in our modern day and age.  She is open and honest about her life and the things that God has brought her family through.  She is quite the busy woman but she takes time to be in prayer and spend time in God's word each day.  I love that she is willing to share the things that God is teaching her in this format.  Her book reminds us in simple daily devotionals that we are not alone.

The recipes she shares are not just for delicious comfort meals, breakfast treats, and desserts (although there are plenty of those... YUM!) but she also shares recipes for making items we use every day like toothpaste and cleaners for around the house, canning ideas, home remedies, and ideas for pampering one's husband.

If you are a Christian homesteading woman I think you will find this devotional a real treat.  It is downloadable in a PDF format that can be added to your computer or e-reader very easily for quick access.

For more information  or to order your own copy you can go to her book site here

What I learned in 31 days...

I know I did not post much but I read every single day about different aspects of homesteading and I have determined to do the following based on what I learned.

1.   I cannot learn everything all at once and I should not even try to.  It would be far too overwhelming so I have determined to learn something new each month or two over the next few years.  I can pick a skill and then start learning and try it and then once I have the basics I can take my learning to a more advanced level.  So for the new year I am already planning some projects to try and see what I like best.

2.   There are a ton of books on the topic and I will take the next year or so to read more.  I am currently just diving into a book by Joel Salatin I picked up in the library and have decided I might want to just buy the book for myself.  It is called Folks, This Ain't Normal and it is great!

3.   Being ecologically aware is part of the process and as much as I have railed against the politically correct aspect of it I can certainly heed the Biblical aspect of it and will spend more time searching God's word on being a better steward of what He has given us.

4.   You do not have to live in the country to have a beautifully functioning homestead situation.

5.   Simpler living needs to be part of what we do for us to become good homesteaders.  We will be learning to live with less (as we have been for several years now) and we will decide what is important and what needs to go away in our lives both materially and in our use of time and resources.

6.   I want a bigger garden next year and have already ordered seed catalogs which will be arriving in the mail soon.

7.   I make a lot of things at home but want to add to that and refine my sewing, crocheting and home crafting skills more in the coming year.

8.   We definitely want to try raising a few rabbits and then see how that goes.  If it goes well we will probably upgrade to angora rabbits at some point.  I would love to be able to spin yarn and use angora for more lovely items as I learn to crochet and maybe knit.

9. I have decided to participate in more events locally to learn  more outdoor skills.

10.   There will be FAR more canning and prepping in our home in 2014.

These are all things I have decided as I read this month... stay tuned for the adventure that is to come.

Coming in November and December will be more holiday from the homestead posts with recipes, some projects we are working on and more about the chickens.  I am looking at a photo challenge attempt again today and will let you know.

As always, thank you for stopping by and reading!

~Leann

Too much...

We are so exhausted!  I have said continually that band and football will be the death of me every single October but I am still here.  LOL  We just have two more weeks of both but there is also holiday concert season and all the region tryout events, rehearsals and concerts.  I am contemplating a real time of hibernation in December this year.  I am so grateful for my time at home during the days with my youngest where we can take a slower pace with school, gardening chores, chickens and housework.  

I am still working through my Autumn garden chores... and kinda being a bit dreamy already with the seed catalogs.

There is the clearing of the flower beds and weeds.  We need to run the weed eater over the back garden area one more time and turn all the soil over.  I still need a good composting system but until then I am using a big bucket in the kitchen.  I am in dire need of new garden tools.  Mine have either been broken or lost by these crazy children of mine.  New hand tools... garden gloves... garden wellies and/or clogs.... just need new stuff.

There needs to be a bit of winterizing of the chicken coop, too.

The girls are presenting me with new learning opportunities almost daily.  Just about a week ago we started to really notice that three of the five were molting.  There are feathers falling everywhere and new soft growth showing up every day.  The egg production has dropped off a bit with that and then there's Clara... my little bantam Australorp who has gone a bit broody.  Silly girl... I have taken to lifting her out of the brood box and taking the eggs from her daily.  She is so calm and still when she is in that brood box but she will softly peck at me when it looks like I am taking the eggs.  I am hoping to draw her out of it quickly.  

Tomorrow we will let the girls out in the yard again and close the coop area for a little to keep her out in the yard with the others.  They all love roaming around the backyard free from the confines of the kennel and coop area.  Removing her and making her stay with the others is the best suggestion I have come across for this.  I am constantly reading about how to handle things and am grateful for my new little chicken library of books.  Who am I kidding... I just love reading books.

Yesterday I got to watch as my Rhode Island Reds frolicked in a full blown dirt bath with each other.  They are so curious to watch.

I also discovered they love pumpkin innards.  I have six more pumpkins to bake so I know where most of that leftover stuff is going.... straight to the chickens.

So, two more weeks of band and football... a few more weeks of rehearsals and concerts... some auditions and lots of practicing and perfecting of etudes and piano pieces plus a theory test for two kiddos and then.... then I can slow down... maybe sleep a little later.... hang out and watch movies with the kids a little more often and enjoy brunch on the weekends together with scones and fresh scrambled eggs and coffee and then it will be Christmas.

Oh goodness... 

I have not even started planning and preparing and shopping... 

I am thinking this one will be very scaled back but still...

I guess slow is out of the question for a bit longer.  

Oh well.

A Free Homesteading Online Magazine Resource...

I get this magazine link every other month in my inbox and love it!  It is chocked full of great information and resources for the modern homesteader.  I thought you guys might enjoy it, too so I am sharing it...

The link to the site to subscriber is From Scratch Magazine

The current issue is here.

Homestead skills make me more frugal and simple

When I say the words frugal and simple I mean that we save money and choose to live with less complicated systems.  It does not happen overnight but it is slowly happening over an extended period of time.  I posted a little picture a few years ago and I still try to live by this list...

I am following this philosophy this week as I am making a costume for my youngest for our annual Halloween Pack Meeting.  We don't typically do the trick or treat thing and never really have but we celebrate with our scouts so they can show off a cool costume and get a little bag of candy and just generally have a great time being together.  

I am digging through my fabric box this week and using what we have to make this costume.  

Three things will happen when I do this...

1.   We won't spend any money to put this costume together because we are using what we already have.

2.   We will, in turn, be clearing out the box and make the pile smaller.

3.   The boy can be involved in the whole process of helping design the items being made.  

Is it more work for me?  Yes... and that part may not be considered "simple" but for me it is enjoyable so I don't mind one bit.  I get to be creative and use up what we have and not spend a dime on it in the process.  The less complicated system comes when I don't have to leave my house to go and shop for this costume... I can stay home and not have to drive all over town looking for something specific when I have no idea where to look for such things.  We get exactly what we want without stepping foot outside the front door. Since I am a homebody this is very simple for me... 

The rest of my list this week looks a lot like cleaning the house and clearing out more stuff to give away.  We are also planning on making a new water system for the chickens and, again, we are using what we have to make it ourselves and youngest gets to work with tools!  Win!!!

Cottage Industry

Cottage industry is a big part of what many homesteaders do.  They sell things they make or raise or bake/cook or grow from their own homes, at a farmer's market stand or even online.  There are so many options for work from home job ideas now.  

I have become more of a work from home kinda girl in recent years.  I bake and sell items from my kitchen as well as recently starting to sell Pampered Chef.  I have spent the last several days finishing up a cooking show/party event and most all the money I make goes to pay for lessons these days.  LOL  We also get the occasional extra item that might surprise us on our budget during the month, too, but mostly music lessons is the target for now.  

I enjoy what I do and I really do have a lot of time with my family.  I am able to keep chickens and garden and cook meals and keep house as well as help my family financially.  It is also a great alternative for me since the Lupus issues have worsened in the last few years.  I can take a day off to recuperate if I need to and I don't miss out on work like I would if I were going to an office or classroom each day.  

I am researching the idea of broadening my income a bit with selling some crocheted or sewn items on Etsy or maybe locally.

I will let you know if I put a shop up.

The Daily...

This week I cleared all the pumpkin and squash vines out of the garden and I will be working to remove weeds and any pests that might be trying to winter over (squash bugs).  We are now letting the chickens out into the yard for part of the day so that they can help us control the bug population and they can stretch their legs and get more sun.  Happy chickens lay more eggs so we are hoping the daily jaunts will be beneficial.  I am also not averse to the multitude of "fertilizer" these little girls are providing.  

I have already had several neighbors tell me that if I get to the point of having extra eggs they would be glad to buy from us.  We have such sweet neighbors!  We are praying for a new family for the house next door that is for sale and would love a chicken friendly family.  Friends would be even better.  At this point we cannot afford to sell any eggs because we are just feeding the family but there might come a day... We shall see.

The Learning List

I have so many things I still want to learn.  As I read I am finding out that many of the skills of homemaker and women of generations before us are things we are just not teaching our children anymore.  Homesteaders are thrifty resourceful people!  Many of them garden, raise animals, sew, do other handicrafts like knitting, crochet, and embroidery.  They make their own soaps and candles and are expert canners and preppers.  Many are beekeepers and woodcrafters, hunters and fishermen, and they use everything and are not wasteful. 

What I find fascinating is that, as scouters, we are learning these things and not even realizing they are homestead skills.  I have a lot of skills under my belt already and that excites me!

With that being established I still have so much more to learn.

So, I want to make a list... a list of things I want to try and learn more about this next year.  I don't want to overwhelm myself but I want to be continually learning and growing in this area of my life.

The List

*   For the Kitchen... Prepping the pantry - canning, storage, drying and preserving food for my family and MAKING CHEESE

*   Hunting and preparing wild game - I did a bit of this a few weekends ago at a Women in the Outdoors event.  I had the best time learning how to use a shotgun and some basic archery skills.  I really love the archery and would like to learn more about hunting with a bow.

*   Making soap - I have dabbled but I really want to get down to the nitty gritty on this (no puns intended)

*   More sewing and handiwork skills

*   More about composting and gardening for a bigger vegetable garden next year and a small cutting garden with flowers just for me

*   More on rainwater collecting

*   More on solar energy and converting a small portion of our home this year to learn firsthand about the process.

*   Using our grey-water runoff from the washing machine to water garden areas.

*  More on DIY furniture restoration and make it myself projects

*   More about companion planting and organic pest control

*   Take some classes at our local RelianceOutdoor Supply store

*   Expand our cottage industry skills to include selling non-food items on Etsy.  Which means I am learning more about Etsy!

That could easily fill up a year or two, right?

Have you met Joel Salatin?

If you have not guessed by now I am reading and watching a lot of stuff right now.

There was an online presentation by Joel Salatin last night that was live but since I am never able to tune into stuff in the evenings I am grateful that they sent the recorded link out this morning.  It was called Follow Your Small Farm Dreams.  You may need to register to hear it but it is so worth it if you want to get great info on starting a farm (which I do).  There is also a full length class that I hope to take someday but it is a little pricey for us right now.

If you cannot access that then this is great, too...

You all must meet Wendell Berry....

This is a very recent and rare interview with this precious keeper of the land.  He has been a farmer for his entire life and a defender of creation.  You may not agree with everything on this video... from followers of his or things he may say but he is a precious man with a beautiful message.  Please enjoy this quiet simple man who has a deep reverence for the things of God.

  

Pumpkins almost ready...

Some green still on a few of the pumpkins but they are turning orange quickly now since the weather has cooled.  The leaves are dying off and there is no new growth... only seven lovely little pumpkins almost ready to be harvested and used.  We lost two in the rain storms due to mold but it happens and so we moved on to care for the 7 left.  They are beautiful!

Just about another week or so and we will clear the brush to plant for winter.

We are ready for pumpkin bread and pie and soup and any other yummy treats we can concoct from our most sincere little pumpkin patch.

We are also still growing carrots and the last of the summer tomatoes are turning red.  There is a fresh planting of lettuces and onion that we put in and there will be garlic planting soon.  I am looking at some more carrot and beet seeds to plant.  If I can find broccoli and/or brussel sprouts we still have a bit of time to put those in for winter growth.  This will be our first winter attempt and I am so excited for that!

Some Homestead Resources I Use

Over the years I have collected a small library that have served me well on the topic of homesteading.

From the bookshelf above you can see...

*  Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout

*   A Full Life in a Small Place by Janice Emily Bowers

*   Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich

*   Barnheart by Jenna Woginrich

*   The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

*   Bringing It to the Table  by Wendell Berry

*   Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens

*   Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

*   Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making by Alana Chernila

*   Farmstead Chef by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist

*   Winter Harvest by Lane Morgan

*   Modern Homestead by Renee Wilkinson

*   Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine

*   Storey's Basic Country Skills

*   The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

*   MaryJane's Outpost - I also have MaryJane's Journal, too.

and from my Nook books collection...

I have a few more on my Kindle and some paperback ones stashed away in a box that I have already read.  

What really started this whole journey for me was this little BBC series called "Good Neighbors" or in the UK it is called "The Good Life"  It is about a couple who endeavors to homestead in the suburbs in the UK.  It is funny and poignant and just a lovely show!   It is my very favorite Britcom.

I also have a weakness for seed catalogs...

Territorial Seed Company

Pinetree

Johnny's Seeds

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

Others not shown here...

Seed Savers Exchange

Seeds of Change (I have even found these at Walmart!)

Annie Heirloom Seeds

The Cook's Garden

Irish Eyes Garden Seeds

My favorite Desert Gardening book is this one... I also have the Month by Month edition and it is the most helpful book I have found for our part of the country.

There are also a plethora of homestead magazines and helps popping up out there.

MaryJane's Farm is a huge favorite as well as my bi-monthly subscription of Hobby Farms.

Capper's Farmer is one I recently discovered and have enjoyed.

No gardener's reference library is complete without the legendary Farmer's Almanac.  I also have the Gardener's Guide companion this year and it has been a valuable resource.

This is one of the books I am reading right now...  Backyard Farming on an Acre (more or less) by Angela England

Also enjoying Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich.

She has a new one out I picked up on my Nook... One Woman Farm.  It is not from a Christian perspective but it has lovely stories and beautiful artwork in it.  I love Jenna's adventures.

Lastly, there is one book I want but have not gotten yet.  It is released in a few short weeks.  It is being released by a fellow blogger at Chickens in the Road and the book is titled the same.

Cannot wait to read Suzanne McMinn's adventures!  You can read the first chapter for free here.

Check out her promo video, too... those goats are adorable!!!

Some observations

I can assure you that I have been learning new things about homesteading and making some plans for our own transformation to a simpler more homestead existence.  

The modern term of homesteading does not refer to the original Homestead Act of 1862.  It refers more to a way of life that is more of a "back to basics" approach and can be defined in very broad terms.  (Two articles that helped us understand are What is Modern Homesteading by Victoria Gazeley.... and also this one entitled the same... What is Modern Homesteading from Little Homestead on the Hill)

It has become a way of life that moves one more toward growing your own food and keeping livestock as well as finding alternative forms of energy and conserving certain natural resources for a "lighter footprint/saving Mother Earth" approach.  It is a huge spectrum of skills and choices that seem to be different for each individual/family.  It can range from urban gardening in containers to running a farm or even to the preppers and survivalist movements.  There are lists all over the internet from The 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading to the 101 Basic Homestead Skills.  The possibilities are endless!

So, this means that I need to find what works for our family in this.  As Christians it also means that we might be doing this for a different reason than "lighter footprint/Mother Earth" and that I need to seek out what God's word says about being a good steward of all He has put into our circle of responsibility.  This way of living is not in the absolute category by any stretch of the imagination in God's word so each person must determine how much or how little to implement for their needs and situation.

Does that mean that everyone should keep chickens?  Nope...

Or that everyone should grow zucchini?  Nope...

Does everyone need to convert their house to solar energy or use their greywater to water the garden?  Nope...

Ultimately our trust is in a God who can provide for our every need and that is our ultimate bottom line.  As for me and my house... we will serve the Lord.  I suspect if you read here your bottom line is very much the same in that regard.

My goal is to find ways to save our family money and be a good steward all at the same time.

So the remainder of this month will be about what homesteading looks like for our family and some things that are drawing me toward learning skills.  This is not a how-to series but rather a journey toward who WE are as a family and ways we can move toward a slower simpler life.

I want to enjoy each day along with my family and our home and I want to be a lifelong learner.

I want to share just a little excitement in our home this week.  We have had our little girls for two weeks now and the first week they laid a dozen eggs for us.  We started them on a new feed regimen for layers with a 20% protein content plus a daily treat of kitchen scraps and some mealworm and we got 17 eggs this week!  WOOHOO!!!  It is the small things in life that excite us around here. 

Here is a little sampling of the variety of eggs we get throughout the week... different shapes and sizes and it is like Christmas for my youngest to go out and check each day for eggs.  He is loving his life with chickens!

Stay tuned for my stack of reading material that will take me far beyond the month of October to read and study.  This journey is so much fun!!!

31 Days starts NOW!

For the month of October I will spend time reading, learning, implementing and sharing things about modern homesteading.  I will lean heavier on suburban homesteading because that is what my situation is.  The first thing we will do is define modern homesteading.

Three posts that lay down some guidelines for modern homesteading in very relevant and practical ways include....

How to Be a Suburban or Urban Homesteader

The 10 Elements of Urban Homesteading

Suburban Homesteading... One... Two... Three

For the purposes of our discussion here this is the fairly broad definition we will use and I will define what it looks like more for us as we go along this month.  

Urban Homestead [ur-buh n hohm-sted]

n. 1 a suburban or city home in which residents practice self-sufficiency through home food production and storage.

n. 2 the home and garden of a person or family engaging in sustainable small-scale agriculture and related activities designed to reduce environmental impact and increase self-sufficiency.

n. 3 a name describing the home of a person or family living by principals of low-impact, sustainable self-sufficiency through activities such as gardening for food production, cottage industry, extensive recycling, and generally simple living.

Borrowed from Urban Homesteading defined and specifically this post

This is truly a learning experience for me and I am just sharing it here in hopes that someone else might benefit, too.  I hope you will join me for the month and if you are doing a 31 days please share that with us in the comments so we can join you, too!

Thanks for stopping by!

You can find more 31 Dayer's over at The Nester... I am putting mine under the category of House and Home this year.

Saturday Blog Reads...

I have been blog hopping a lot lately so I thought I would share some of my favorites for those of you who love blog reading.  Not sure you guys have noticed the changes but this is still a food blog, I promise.  I am just doing food differently these days.  I am trying to get back to more whole/real food and gardening and chickens are part of that process for us.  In finding my voice I realized I need to share the whole life we live instead of just the food we eat.  Food is such an intricate part of life and I want to share that bigger picture.  

Oh, I did not tell you.... we are getting chickens... TODAY!  

There will be blogging about chickens.  We are getting five 6 month old chickens from a family that cannot care for their chickens anymore.  We will be adding to our little flock come spring and as we need to over the coming years.  I am looking forward to this grand adventure!

Anyway... here are some blogs I love and have been reading as I prepare to write more in October and about life in the garden and with chickens.

The biggest questions on my mind today (besides chicken stuff) is the 31 Days of Blogging coming in October and what I will write and who is joining me?

With that in mind, here is what I am reading lately:

31 Day Reads

Here is the link to The Nester (Nesting Place)... the host for this 31 Day challenge.

Here are a few links regarding the challenge ahead...

13 Reasons Why to Write a 31 Day Series

31 Tips for a Great 31 Days Series

31 Days Categories

Gardening/Farming Reads

You Grow Girl

Mary Jane's Farm

Northwest Edible Life

Chickens in the Road 

(she has a book coming out in October!)

Cold Antler Farm 

by Jenna Woginrich 

(whose books I am devouring right now)

Chickens

The Chicken Chick

Fresh Eggs Daily

Keeping Chickens Newsletter online (this is FREE)

My Pet Chicken

Backyard Chickens

Stay tuned for upcoming chicken news and if you did not know it.... 

TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN!!!