Is Homesteading For You?

Before you pack up your boxes and head out to the range, I thought you might like to know some of the differences that I have observed....you know, a little help in making the decision to go from a city slicker to a country bumpkin!!  :)

1.  In the city dirt generally knows its place...outside!  On the homestead it thinks it is part of the family and is welcome in the house at all times.

2.  In the city an alarm clock woke me up each morning.  On the homestead a rooster has taken over that job!

3.  In the city we would go to the theater for entertainment.  On the homestead we watch the chickens or the goats run around and play.

4.  In the city when I talked about my kids everyone knew I was taking about my children.  On the homestead if I talk about a kid, everyone assumes I raise goats!  :)

5.  In the city my children would play in the backyard on our swing set.  On the homestead they play outside on the zip lines.

6.  In the city when we had a deep freeze we would bundle up and stay in the house and watch movies.  On the homestead we bundle up and head outside every couple of hours to unfreeze all of the animal water!

7.  In the city I would get annoyed when neighbors let their pets poop on my yard.  On the homestead I get super excited when my neighbor brings me bags of her pets' (cows and buffalo) poop! ( you don't want to see a picture of this one!!)

8.  In the city I styled my hair every day and put makeup on.  On the homestead I realized the other day that I had not had a haircut in over a year!!  Ponytails become the style to beat and makeup is obsolete!!  :)

9.  In the city I watched babies being born on Baby Story on the tv.  On the homestead I am expected to be the lead doctor in my own Baby Story when our goat gives birth next month.

10.  In the city I would not even recognize many of my neighbors if I passed them on the street.  On the homestead it is expected that not only will you know them, you will become a part of their lives.  (I must admit that this is one of my favorite differences as I have some awesome neighbors and new friends!!)  You find that you really NEED your neighbors as you begin to realize that we all depend on one another.

11. In the city we traveled to a lot of new places.  On the homestead we can't do that very much because we have to take care of the animals....I miss traveling.  On the flip side though, a lot of what we liked to do when we traveled we are able to do here.

So what is your final verdict?  Is homesteading for you?

If you would like to read what is going on at other's homesteads, take a look here at the
Homestead Barn Hop!

Day of Rest on a Farm?

Since moving out to our farm there seems to always be at least one or two projects that need completion.  Now that spring is approaching that number is rising!!

Farmer Willie works in the city during the week so the only times we have to really work on things are the weekends, yet we are pretty strong believers in taking a day of rest.  I have discovered that is hard on the farm.

Not only are there animal chores that must be done daily, but my desire to get things done and knowing that we have a day where we are both home is huge!  It has become really hard for us to continue taking a day off.

Yesterday was one of those days.  We worked on a couple of really neat projects on Saturday and I really, REALLY wanted to continue to work on them yesterday, but it was our day of rest.

So the day begins and there are a few things that had to be done such as taking care of the animals, we had previously scheduled a trip yesterday morning to look at some beehives we are purchasing, and there were some peach trees that had to be put into the ground, but other than that we rested.

I am so thankful that we did.  What I noticed yesterday was all that we would have missed had we not taken the time to rest.

Children playing on the zip line.

Lizards hanging out in the tree house!

Puppy dogs playing.

Sweet girls playing with kitty cats!

Sitting and enjoying being outside.

And time to enjoy being with my sweet family!

So the lesson I learned is this...The Lord told us to take a day of rest for a reason.  So that we can sit back, look at all He has given us and be able to say...It is good!



Take a look at the Homestead Barn Hop!

Dealing With Animal Life and Death on the Homestead

Life on our small farm is abundant.  Especially as spring approaches, the anticipation for new life builds!

Chicks are being born, goats are preparing to give birth, green sprouts appear on trees, and we all wait in excitement for the front pastures to make their transformation into glorious fields full of wildflowers. 

For me, as a fairly new farm gal, all of this new life also brings a bit of a worry about death.  Will everything go okay when our goat Nancy gives birth?  Will we be able to keep her kids protected from predators?  Are the new chicks staying warm...or are they too warm?  I still perk up at every noise I hear at night listening to make sure that nothing is getting into our chicken coop and hurting our chickens.

We had not been living here long when we experienced our first animal loss.  A pack of dogs got into our chicken coop and killed every hen that was in that coop. 

We were devastated.  We felt guilty for not being able to protect them better and we felt sad for the loss of life.  I hated farming at that point.  I was ready to move back to the city.

 

 

Over the next year we lost several other animals and each time we mourned. 

I kept thinking it would get easier for us but it never did. 

I was afraid to get any more farm animals.

I started to wonder if maybe we were not cut out for farm life.

 

But as I prayed about it and as I learned from other homesteaders and farmers I began to see a new reality emerge.

It should not get easier.

You see, by working on a farm and learning to homestead we learn the value of life as well as death.

We work each and every day with animals that give their all to provide milk, honey, and eggs to nourish our families.  We love on animals that eventually give their lives to bring us what we need to live.

Becoming a farmer does not mean that you should become hardened to death, it means that you become thankful for life.

I don't want to turn back into the girl that slapped some eggs on the table for breakfast never taking the time to think about the hens that worked so hard to lay them for me. 

And I don't want to turn back into the girl that grilled dinner and served it up never giving a thought to the animals whose ultimate job it was to feed me.

No. I will continue to feel sad when we lose animals. 

Because being a farmer is not just about what all I can take from the animals and the earth, it is also about what I can give.



We are super excited for the opportunity of participating in the Homestead Barn Hop #146!!

Quick Start Morning on Bumpkin Farm!!

Wanna know the best way to start the day on the farm?


First you need some of this...

 

 

 

Then you mix up some of these pretty things!!

 

 



 

 

Sautee' some peppers, onions and potatoes to get this...

 

Then of course you need a few corn tortillas!!

 

And no day should be started without a cup of coffee!!

And there you have the recipe for a perfect start to the day!!

Saving Money on Bumpkin Farm

One thing that I have noticed since moving to the farm is that we waste a lot!  We waste food, we waste time, we waste money, and we waste things. 

I am a throw it away kinda gal.  I do not feel a need to hang on to things so I usually throw it away.  Several years ago a friend pointed out that throwing so much away was not being a good steward with my money. 

At first I balked at her statement thinking that I was simplifying things by not keeping much, but then I began to see she was correct.  I was throwing away things that other could use, thus I began to donate.

Living out here has taught me another lesson in being a good steward with our money...I don't need that much to begin with!  And boy howdy do we waste a ton!

So what have we done to help? 

1.  Recycle:  Believe it or not, the trash service we use also offers recycling pickup.  So we have bins where we save our recyclables and have them picked up.  This not only cuts down on our contribution to the dump site, but it also saves money on trash bags!

2.  Ditch paper towels!:  We were spending almost $30 per month on paper towels.  Not only did we use them in the house, but we used several rolls a week when we milked the goats.  Now we have spend about $6 a month. 
 
     Instead of paper towels, I invested in a large quantity of dish towels and dish cloths.  Instead of drying our hands on paper, we use the cloth towels.  When I milk the goats we use dish cloths marked especially for that purpose. 

 

     We have also ditched paper napkins and instead have started using cloth napkins.  We never spent a ton on napkins, but every little bit helps!!

     The only con I have found is that I have to make sure each evening to put on a load of towels and cloths, but this has not been a huge deal.  Our washer does not use much water so there really is no con with extra water usage.

3.  Laundry Detergent:  Very simple solution here, we started making our own!  There are a gazillion recipes online for various detergents.  We have made liquid and powder.  I prefer the powder, but both worked well.  The cost for our detergent for 6 people is around $30 per year.

4.  Dish Detergent:  We make that too!  First we switched from using a store-bought rinse aid to using vinegar.  Let me tell you, that works wayyyy better on our dishes!!  Now we make our detergent too.  Easy-Peasy!!  We use 1 TB of Borax and 1 TB of baking soda.  This with the vinegar as the rinse aid work great!

5.  Freezing Pizza Dough!:  We eat pizza every Friday night and we used to order it out.  Come Friday evening, I am just ready to chill and spend time with the fam....not really in the mood to spank some dough!  But, if I make the dough earlier in the week and double or triple the recipe, let it rise the first time and spank it and freeze it, it is soooo easy!!  I just pull it out in the morning, it thaws during the day and wah-lah, we have yummy pizza that evening!

6.  Chicken:  I used to be a chicken breast only kinda gal.  Not really keen on sticking my hands inside a carcass to season it.  Best tip ever....throw it in the crockpot with some spices on top, cook it all day and that evening you have a perfectly cooked, tender chicken!  I always throw it in frozen even!

Then that night after you have pulled all of the meat off, add some spices, onion, and garlic, cook it all and you have wonderful chicken broth the next day!



Now I have gone and made myself hungry!!!

I have learned that though I might not have a job outside of the home that brings in money, I can make money for our family by saving money.  Added benefit....it's kinda fun too!!  :)





    

Christmas Trees on Bumpkin Farm: Christmas Traditions

After Advent, I would say that my next favorite family Christmas tradition is the cutting and decorating of our tree.

The day after Thanksgiving we head out to find the "perfect" family tree!  Now, perfect is relative cuz I could tell you some crazy stories about trees past!

Unfortunately, where we live there is no place to just head out in the woods and find a Christmas tree, so we head to a tree farm to find it!

We usually walk around for a couple of hours going from tree to tree declaring each tree's perfection until we see the next one.  Then about two hours into it my back hurts and everyone is getting a little dizzy from all of the trees so we just pick one and begin cutting!

Christmas tree cutting this year!! 2013

Tree cutting from 2011!!

Tree cutting 2010!!

We load it up and carry it home, set it up in the living room and allow a day for all of the branches to settle, or all the insects to wake up from their slumber!

Then the following day is probably one of my top five most favoritest days of the year....tree decorating!!  The Friday night before we decorate the tree, we spend time decorating the house and Farmer Willie puts the lights on the tree so then once Saturday comes....BAM, we decorate!!

It is a decorating party!!  We have a spread of finger foods, always have some chips and queso, red and green M&M's and Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes.  There is usually some fruit and raw veggies with dip thrown in there too.  And finally......Christmas punch!!!

After we spend time eating and visiting we begin decorating!!  We usually put up three trees.  The main on in our living room we cover with ornaments that we make.  This year it is mostly cinnamon ornaments and boy does our living room smell good!  (I will show you how to make them tomorrow!)

The other tree, usually in the dining room, we hang our yearly ornaments.  Each year one of the girls and I will go and pick out a special ornament for each person.  Sometimes we have a theme and other years we get ornaments based on things that each person was interested in throughout the year.  We label them with the year and the name.  We started this about ten years ago and the plan is that when the girls leave home they will be able to take their special ornaments with them to hang on their trees!!

We also hang our travel ornaments on this tree as well.  Each time we travel to a new destination we try and pick up a Christmas ornament as a souvenir!!

You can imagine how much fun this tree is to decorate!!  It brings back tons of memories and fun stories!!!

The final tree is really just there because we love Christmas trees!  This year it is decorated in red and white and is in our library.

You will note the cat at the bottom, Aslan, thinks he is the best gift of all!

We keep the lights on the trees going as long as we are awake!  I love the mood that it sets in the house!! 

We don't really do presents, so under the main tree we have our Christmas books, under the red and white tree we have some homemade gifts for each other and  we don't put anything under the memory/travel tree.

So....what traditions do you have with your Christmas trees??!!

Advent on Bumpkin Farm - Christmas Traditions

Christmas is coming! 

I know, hard to believe isn't it?  This year has flown by!!

Our family is one that loves tradition!  Probably a little too much :)  But during this time of year our traditions abound and frankly, we like it that way!!

One of our favorite traditions is observing Advent. 

What is advent?  It is traditionally a time of expectation and waiting for the celebration of Christ's birth.  It is a time to focus your attention, thoughts and actions on things that are everlasting as opposed to short-lasting.

In order to do this, we have nightly Advent readings that include the lighting of the Advent candles, a short lesson, reading of scripture, singing, and prayer.

Our advent wreath is simple greenery with four candles in the middle, three being purple and one pink.  The purple candles are the color representing royalty and penance and the pink, being that Advent is partially patterned after Lent, represents joy . 

Week 1 stands for Hope, and week 2 Love. Week 3 stands for joy and week 4 peace. In the center of those candles is a short white candle that is lit on Christmas morning representing Christ!

Different churches and different denominations observe Advent differently so we have just picked what makes sense to us and gone with it!! 

I remember when growing up, the Baptist church we attended observed advent and each Sunday we sang the following song:

Light One Candle

1. Light one candle for hope One bright candle for hope He brings hope to every heart He comes! He comes!

2. Light one candle for love One bright candle for love He brings love to every heart He comes! He comes!

3. Light one candle for joy One bright candle for joy He brings joy to every heart He comes! He comes!

4. Light one candle for peace One bright candle for peace He brings peace to every heart He comes!

He comes!

 Because this song has a lot of memories and meaning to me, it is one of the songs we sing each Sunday when we light that week's candle.

Do I think you have to observe Advent?  Nope! 

But for our family, it is a way that we can come together each evening and bring our busy, excited thoughts all back to the reason we are rejoicing and celebrating in the first place.  That God...GOD, chose to become a human and come to earth and live just to sacrifice himself for ME so that not only we can spend eternity together, but so that we can have a relationship now!!

Want to read more blogs about homesteading? 

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Thankful Tree

Wow!  I guess we have been a bit busy, or I have been a bit lazy, but I have not posted in a while!!  Sorry about that! :)

So, we are well into November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

This is my absolute favorite time of the year!!  I love the weather and I love the holiday season that, in our home, begins on November 1st. 

In our family, November is a time that we focus on our blessings and thankfulness and December is a time that we focus on others and how we can bless them.  Boy do we have a lot to be thankful for!

For the past, I don't remember how many, years, we have made a thankful tree. 

Each year we change up what the tree looks like.  Some years we have done something on the wall, some years we have used small Christmas trees, and this year we made a stick tree.  There are probably a thousand ideas on Pinterest so find what works for your family!!

Here is what ours looks like this year:

We gathered some sticks from the backwoods, placed them in a mason jar, tied on some pretty fall ribbons and...BAM!!  Thankful tree!!

 I wanted to fill the jar with acorns, but I have not got around to gathering them yet and at this point I find it highly unlikely that I will do so!!  :)

So every morning as we all sit down to breakfast, someone from the family will name something that they are thankful for.  We even call our daughter who is off to college and she gives us her thankful item as well.

The tags I use are from Target!  I was so excited to find these in their dollar section!!  The are gold and silver trimmed with little rope hangers.  The black front of the tag is chalkboard!!  Then they had a chalk pen in the dollar section so I snatched that up as well!!

I love all of the chalk things that Target has!!

So, after we write down on one tag a day what we are thankful for, we hang it on the tree.  And then we have a visual reminder of the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us.  We also talk about the responsibility that those blessings bring.

We have a wide variety of tags! 

Everywhere from roaring fires in the fireplace!!!  To thankfulness for our family!

The cool thing is that after the first couple of weeks and you get past all of the obvious things, this forces everyone to really pay attention to the day and focus on blessings that sometimes sneak by us!!

There is no right or wrong way to make a family thankful tree!  How can you go wrong when you are giving thanks??!!

Have a blessed Sunday y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Care Packages for College Students

I came across an article on msnbc.com today taking about sending care packages to college students.  It was kinda funny that I ran across it because we are finishing up a little Halloween care package to send to Brianna today!!

Most of the people that the author interviewed (parents of college students) were pro care packages, even if they themselves did not have the time or money to send them.  I was surprised to find that some parents thought that they were a waste of time.

They said things like "they are too old for silly stuff like that" and that college kids were "not at a summer sleep away camp." 

Humph!!  I am in my forties and I still LOVE getting packages!!

And I must admit, I really enjoy sending them.

I think it lets Bri know that she is loved and thought of daily.  It gives her a little hug from home in a box!!

I enjoy the process of purchasing items for our care packages, and her sisters like getting in on the action!!  I feel like she is an active part of my day when I am able to search for and put the items together.

The first package we sent her was full of things she forgot to bring as well as lots of candy, treats and surprises!!

The second one had some fall décor in it, fall baked goods and some trinkets.

The one we are sending today will be for Halloween!  It has Halloween treats, a little pumpkin, a Halloween straw and some souvenirs that her sister and I picked up for her last week in Belize!!  Oh, also a couple of long sleeve shirts she asked for due to the cooler weather :)

Brianna's care package that is going out today!!

This is her first Halloween away from home and though I know she will have a blast with her friends, I just want her to know that she is on our minds as we head out to trunk-or-treat at church!!

Celebrate!

It is so important in life to celebrate! 

Celebrate the sunrise!

Celebrate two straight days of rain!

To celebrate something is to show happiness that something good or special has happened and every day brings good and special moments!  Some days those moments are easier to find, but every day they are there.

So today we celebrated my second born girly!  She took an important standardized test, the PSAT, and survived. We had her favorite lunch and dessert waiting for her when she got home!

She loves her some starch!!  Yummy pesto pasta and garlic bread :)

And of course her favorite dessert of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!!

And her little sisters made a sign celebrating PSAT Day!!

So make a decision that tomorrow, you are going to find something to celebrate!

Life is too short not to.