Mid-April Update

Just because I haven't been blogging much doesn't mean I don't have a lot to share! Things have been hopping around here in so many ways. There's garden news to report, chicken news, emergency preparedness news, homemaking news and more! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share, but I will when I go into more detail later on in the month.

In the garden, I'm so excited to see the chives coming back, and I believe the catnip is starting again, too. Unfortunately that's it. I've been meaning to get peas and chard started in our raised beds, but my poor, dear hubby hurt his back nearly 3 weeks ago, so I had picked up some of his "chores". This means that my back is sore! So things have not been planted out there yet. In the green house, the Roma tomatoes are doing well, but I am so glad that I started so many, because I only have a fraction of what I started. I'm thinking I may still have to but a few transplants, but at least I have some of our own. The green peppers are ready to get put into newspaper pots, so that needs to be done soon. And we have 2 marigolds, an onion and some lettuce in there thanks to Princess, who is a member of on of our local gardening store's "Kid's Club". She was quite excited about the marigolds because she knows Mama uses them in the beds to keep pests away.

We may not be getting rid of as many of our hens as I had initially thought. It seems we have a hen that is eating eggs, so that is, in part, why we aren't getting as many as we should. I have no idea how to catch the offender without a video camera. But no one will be relocated until we can discover who it is and how many eggs she is dispatching. We've decided to nix the raising of our own meat birds, at least for now. It  is just is too much for this year, but we're looking at our options for obtaining healthy, pasture raised meat for our family.

I've been pretty bad in the emergency preparedness sector, though today I am taking a CPR/First Aid class through our church. I'm excited about this and perhaps it will get me back on track.

Our dear friend, Chris, was able to fix and update our old desk top computer. It is a huge blessing to have this computer, as next year I will be homeschooling Teddy Bear. I was thinking that we might need to purchase another laptop, but it's no longer necessary with the desktop up and running. I have already installed some of the educational games on it and the kids have been having a blast playing "Oregon Trail" and "Where In the World Is Carmen San Diego?". Having the desktop going has also gotten me inspired to get my home office area and desk cleaned up and organized. I have gotten quite a bit done and have been able to bless some other friends of ours with some organizing things because she will be homeschooling all of her children next school year. When I am done getting my desk organized, I will be sharing it in a post with pictures and links that I used for advice and inspiration.

The 2013 sugaring season is pretty much at a close for us. We just have to finish off about 3 gallons that is nearly syrup and we will be done with boiling. I believe my hubby has pulled all the taps and has to get the buckets cleaned and put away for the year. We have had a much better yield this year, so I've been able to bake with it this year!!!

That is all for now, Friends. Hope you have a lovely Saturday.

Many Blessings,
Kelly

March Update

Hello, Friends! Again, it's been too long between posts. But I have plenty to tell you! Pictured above is our sugaring arch, A.K.A. a 50 gallon steel drum with both ends cut out and a large notch cut out for placing the firewood. To date we have made about 16 quarts of yummy, lip smacking maple syrup! Things have gotten cold again, so the sap hasn't run since last week. I'm praying that we have a good run again before the season is over.

This year we have been blessed to share our sugaring operation with two families that are friends of ours. My  very dear friend, and fellow Vermonter, had no idea that maple sap was like water. Our other friends got to see the sap become syrup and and watch (and help!) us can it. It was truly a blessing to share this with others.

A couple of weeks ago my darling hubby bought me one of those green house kits that you can buy at the store. Ours isn't huge, but it is a "walk-in" size. It is currently residing in our dining room, all put together in front or our south facing picture window and holding my Roma tomato seedlings. I went into the green house to check on the seedlings' moisture and couldn't believe how incredibly warm it was in there! It's like I have an indoor green house and sauna! I still have many more seeds to start, like green peppers and herbs. Once it is warm enough outside, we'll be moving the green house outside.

I'm also looking to use one of our 4x4 raised beds as a cold frame to start some Swiss chard in as soon as I can get the soil in it warmed up. My daughter belongs to the school's gardening club and last September she brought home some rainbow chard for us to try. We loved it! So we bought some rainbow chard seeds from  a High Mowing Seed Company's fundraiser that her school was doing. I bought another variety of Swiss chard as well, so I'm hoping that it does well.

I've also made up my mind that this year I am going to stick to my guns and not buy any annual flowers to put in our planters. The only ones I will buy are marigolds to plant in the veggies beds for pest control. Instead of pansies and petunias, I'll plant basil varieties and other annual herbs in their place. I've not had any luck trying to start flowers from seed, but I do well with herbs. This seems like the most economical choice, and besides, herbs are beautiful, too!

Well, the kittens have been spayed and neutered, and are back to their sibling ways. We were a bit nervous that their bond had been severed, as every time Oreo looked at Miller she hissed and growled like a wild cat. It wasn't the happy reunion we were all hoping it would be. But after their operations and a few days of being quarantined, they are back to normal. Taking the occasional nap together, grooming each other and running at break neck speeds through the house after one another!

It's a snow day here, and Spring seems so very far away, yet I know it will be here soon! Maybe I'll go step inside my greenhouse/sauna for a quick pick me up before I get back to work. Have a wonderful day!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

This post is linked to Joybilee Farm's Homestead Abundance Link Up!

February Updates

Hello, Friends! Since it's been a while since I've posted, I thought I'd include some kitteny cuteness! (Plus I don't really have any pictures to go with my updates!) Here is Oreo and Miller, napping together. Oreo is on vacation up at my mothers, visiting her kitty cousins. Unfortunately her vacation was a necessity, as both her and her brother have reached maturity in a certain area of their lives (nudge, nudge, wink, wink!) and their appointments for "fixing" are not until next week. The kiddos and I really miss her, but Miller seems rather lost without her. He has taken to being my shadow, especially around bedtime. He cuddles with me and follows me around until I'm settled in bed for the night.

Last Sunday our friends from church came over so that the man of the family, Chris, could fix my Internet. Once again he proved to be an absolute wizard!!!! He has also offered to fix up my ancient desktop computer, which has sat over in our mudroom/office for about a year, untouched. I would really like to be able to use the old computer, especially since in all likely hood, I will be homeschooling Teddy Bear next year. Having 2 computers would be wonderful.

There isn't much to really report on the homesteading front, at least not anything happening now. We getting ready to gear up for sugaring season, which we are ramping up this year. We asked some friends that live up the road from us if we could tap their trees, and they very graciously agreed. The trees are easy to get to and there are lots of them! The kiddos and I will be collecting the sap from these trees so that Daddy will only have to worry about the trees down on the road. He doesn't want us collecting those because traffic is heavy down there. 

I've been really lax on planning the garden this year, except for knowing that it's going to be bigger this year! Last fall we expanded the garden plot, so that will need some attention before it's time to plant. I'm thinking of planting our corn their. Tomatoes will be going in containers on the deck this year. I'm hoping this will discourage the horn worms and I know it will keep my chickens away.

I'm planning on starting my herbs, tomatoes and green peppers sometime during this week. I have a plan for starting the tomatoes and green peppers, so that I'll have a better yield from the green peppers and won't have to buy seedlings for the tomatoes. 

My goals for the garden are to grow as many of our own veggies and herbs as I can. Without having a planned surgery this summer, I will be taking over the garden again. I'm a bit nervous, but more excited to get going. 

Miller is applying for some undercover spy work in the Middle East. He's got the head wrap down, but I'm thinking  that he might want to forgo the red, white & blue color scheme. I'm thinking earth tones might be more appropriate.

It's taken me some time, but I've reached the stage where I'm seriously considering raising our own meat birds this year. We will have to have help when it comes time to butcher, but I'm pretty sure we can do it. I'm also realizing that it may be time to cull our flock. We have some ladies that just aren't pulling their weight. We can't afford to feed hens that aren't laying. This means having to say goodbye to some sweet feathered friends, but it needs to be done. I have 2 girls that I know for sure may need to go, as they are the only 2 "Big Girls" that lay blue eggs. We've only gotten 2 eggs from these ladies since early in the fall. I'm giving them until late March or early April to pick it up.

Well, it's time to get going. I hope you all have a great day!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

Our At Home Hatch Story

Congratulations Alice and James!!!

O.k., so this is all a little tongue in cheek, I admit, but I'm just so darn happy! Our hen, Alice, who went broody a couple of months ago hatched her first chick.

 We had decided about 3 1/2 weeks ago to let her keep her clutch and moved her to the "infirmary" coop so she would stop stealing more eggs. We set her up with her own food and water, plenty of hay to keep her and her eggs warm and generally left her alone with her nesting and incubation inclination. (Say that 10 times fast!) We checked on her from time to time, making sure she had water and food, that nothing had made it's way in to bother her. But we had no idea if any of the eggs under her were fertile and viable or not. One day when it was warm I had opened her coop door to let in some fresh air. Alice proceeded to take a break from her nest, so I carefully stole her eggs to see if I could candle them. I just couldn't get any of our rooms dark enough to be able to tell, so I gave up and brought the eggs back out to her coop. In the meantime, Alice had proceeded to take up residence in the nesting boxes again and try to steal some of the other girls' eggs. I put the kibosh to that, restoring her to her rightful clutch and shut the door, wondering if we weren't all just wasting our time.

So we just kept checking on her. Now, I've been on a bit of hiatus due to, ummhmm, "lady troubles" as I delicately tell my children, so I personally hadn't checked on Alice since Wednesday afternoon. I had asked the kids to, but, well, we all know how that can go. So early this afternoon I decided to take a peek, figuring I was wasting my time. As soon as I opened the coop door, Alice immediately did her puff ball impersonation. This was unusual, she only does that when you try to get near her. Then I heard the cheep cheep of a baby bird. I stuck my upper half further into the coop to make sure it was coming from inside, and sure enough it was. I carefully lifted Alice up and found the cutest little ball of yellow fluff! I was so "eggcited" you would have thought that I had hatched the darn thing myself!!!! I couldn't wait to tell the kiddos and DH.

I know that we are not the first people to have a hen hatch her eggs, but in this day and age of incubators and mail ordered chicks, it's pretty exciting. I admit to being somewhat envious of my fellow homesteading bloggers showing and telling of their new babies in the barn and coop, especially since our Easter Egger chicks aren't due to arrive until mid-May. But now we have our own baby, which Teddy Bear named Jenny for now, or Willy if names need to be changed. (Please pray it stays Jenny!)

Baby Jenny snuggling with Mama.

Mama Alice, with 6 more eggs under her, and her baby.

James and the girls enjoying some birdseed I threw out to them in
celebration of the joyous occasion. It's the chicken equivalent of passing out
cigars. (Yes, I know that they all don't have a clue!)

So, that in an egg shell, is our home hatch story. I'm hoping to have more siblings to join Jenny, but if not, that's o.k., too. Well, I'm going to try to relax for now. I have my laproscopy tomorrow morning, with a long drive before and after, so I think I'm going to just chill and read some blog posts from the Homesteading Barn Hop.

Blessings,

Kelly

Growings On: Mid-April

So Today is the first day of April Vacation! WhhooooHoooooo! (Could you sense any sarcasm?) I don't mean to seem snarky, but the temperature is 84* right now. Right now, as in right. now. As in, according to the calendar it is April 16th. I don't personally have anything against the number 84, I just don't like that temperature when it is April. 16th. In North America. August, yes, 84 is fine. But. it. is. April!!!

O.k., enough of my temperature tirade! I'm also very torn about the fact that it is vacation and I want to spend time with the kiddos, but I have A TON OF STUFF TO DO!!!!! I currently have 3 laundry baskets of folded laundry (only folded because my Mom folded it while I was doing my shopping this morning. Thanks, Mom!) in my living room, two loads on my bed that need attention, And that is just the tip of the iceberg. You see, next Tuesday I'm having laproscopy. I hadn't wanted to mention it here, but the last few months I have been suffering some very intense with my menses. The doctor suspects endometriosis, but the only way to be sure is to have laproscopy. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel afterwards. As it stands now, I'm about 2 weeks behind due to traveling over to N.H. to see my doctor and the last time I was in pain for an entire week, unable to do much at all. This is totally cramping my garden plans. (No pun intended!)

Anywhoo, no more downer news! There is so much happening out in the garden already! Before I get to the picks, though, I'll give you some seed starting news. The green peppers I started about a month ago are doing beautifully! The little "gardens" that the kids started are doing very well, too, so we transplanted them into planters Saturday afternoon. They still need to come in to keep them safe from frost (and chickens, which we learned Sunday afternoon.) I finally was able to get my herbs and some flowers started Saturday afternoon, as well.

My DH brought home this piece of corrugated metal home. I snatched and decided
it could be made into a small garden bed just outside of the chickee coop. I just need
to get a piece of plywood to back this and fill 'er up with some top soil!

This is the spinach I planted about a week and a half ago out in one of my planters.
So excited to see it coming up!

This is the lettuce I started the same day.

Last year these planters held catnip and flowers. This year, so far, they are holding some
of my spinach and lettuce crop. Flowers will follow soon!

Three out of the four raised beds are built! My hubby is so good to me! (Plus, I think
he likes the fact that I'm so gung-ho about growing as much of our food as I can!) They just need
to be topped of with top soil and planted.

A new investment, a potato growing sack. I picked this up for $5 in the clearance section
of a local gardening store. Normally I wouldn't but something, I would make it myself, but for $5 I thought I could use it to get a good idea of how to make my own. Which I will, very soon and then share with you!

Catnip that came back and is doing great, despite getting hit by a couple of frosts.

It may be hard to see, but there is some new growth from this sage plant. Usually sage is an annual up here in Vermont, but I think due to a mild winter and plenty of mulch, it survived. Yay! I did start some
more sage from seed, though. Last year I didn't save enough to get me through the winter.

Some Early Girl tomatoes and pansies that Princess and I picked up in town
today. Some of the pansies are for Mama, some for her, and the rest for her friends
when we have her birthday party. We're having a fairy garden party where
each little girl makes her own fairy garden. Thank you Pinterest!

So, that's what's "growin'" on around here up on our hill! Are you planning (or started!) a garden this year? I'd love to hear about it from you! Have a lovely day, Friends!
Blessings,
Kelly

An Update and Announcement

Hello Friends! Yes, it's been one of those weeks. It seems as if I take one step forward and about 5 back, promptly ending up on my bottom!!! But things are slowly getting straightened out and coming together, as they always do. It is just so hard to forget that the Lord has a light at the end of our tunnel right when we need it, especially when it seems your blindfolded in a bottomless pit of errands, chores and commitments.

Anywho, I cannot get over this weather! It's been nice to get an early start to the yard and garden work, but chances are when the temperatures get back to seasonal, there will be colds running rampant. And I miss those soft, gray days of rain in the Spring as you slowly watch the land come back to life. This feels more like a "WHAM! You want Spring, I'll show you Spring!".

Boy, seems like I'm doing a lot of grumbling..... I'm sorry! Here are the updates. (They make me smile!)

• St. Patrick's Day was a bit of a non-event at our house this year. I made the typical corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot, but beyond that, nuthin' much special. Although, my Mom and Aunt Jeannie were here to share the dinner. (I'm the only one in the house that really likes it, everyone else had venison!)
• Sugaring season is over! This is both a blessing and a bummer. A blessing because we had syrup to make and my Dear Hubby was getting tired. A bummer because we didn't get as good of a run as last year, though we had some of last year's left, so we're good.
• DH and I decided to go in on an order of "Easter Egger" chicks with some friends, and we're expecting them soon. (O.k., my heart just seized up at the thought that I have. nothing. set. up. for. my . new. babies. N.o.t.h.i.n.g.) So the Light Brahmas are out this year, but there's next year!
• DH and I are currently in negotiations, well really discussion, about going in with some other friends for meat birds. UPDATE: DH came in while I was writing this and I asked him about it. We're going for it!!!!!!
• I have now watched a total of 3 documentaries on food/nutrition/agriculture/medicine while folding laundry. I've watched "Foodmatters", "Forks Over Knives" and "Ingredients". They all have got me thinking about so many things, more than this post allows for. I need to take some time to write things out (it's the only way I can really process information, writing it out in black and white. Or blue and white, depending on what pen I use ;) Once I've done this, I plan on posting a review/synopsis of sorts. Just a note, these will not be paid endorsements, just my humble opinion.
• Sunday afternoon was gorgeous! After church Daddy and the boys worked on yard work while Princess and I started her flower seeds. We sat out at the picnic table. enjoying the warm breeze.  Then the boys came up and started their little pizza garden kits they had received from a local gardening store for joining the kid's club. Good thing they were free. There is no way I would have dropped $10 each for these little kits! They had a good time watching the peat pellets expand and planting the seeds. Their kits came with oregano, basil, tomatoes and green peppers. Princess had a kit, too, though hers was and herb garden. All the trays are sitting up on top of the fridge, waiting to germinate!
• Nearly all of the green peppers that I started about two weeks ago have come up! Hurray!!!!!! I just need to get to my herbs and flowers. I also started some lettuce and spinach on Sunday. I'll have more on that soon.

And now, for that announcement! In lieu of the fact that it has been hectic for me lately, I've decided to focus on at least one weekly post, which I will be calling Thrifty Thursdays. If someone else out there in the blogosphere is using this, I really apologize. Sincerely, truly. But I have some really neat things to share, and I don't feel that I can commit to any more than one post a week at this time. Although, I'm thinking of sharing more things on my face book page, so if you haven't "liked" me there, you can find some more of me and my ramblings. Tomorrow I will be sharing my up cycled outfit from a pair of jeans and a second hand dress, so make sure you visit!

Thank you all, Friends, for stopping buy and taking time to read. I pray you have a lovely night.
Blessings,
Kelly

A Quick Update

Hello, Friends! I thought I'd "pop in" for a few quick updates from up here on our hill. The weekend (o.k., well Saturday!) was CRAZY busy, and I'm still working on getting caught up on house work, but I have been working on other things, as well, and trying to help my DH with sugaring. So, here goes! (I find it easier to quick posts in bullets so that I don't get too long winded! ;o)

• I got the sweet pepper seeds started! Yay!!!!!! They are up on the fridge, hopefully germinating their little hearts out.
• My DH finished off another 2 quarts and a pint of maple syrup. The grand total for the 2012 season is 4 quarts and a pint. (Of course, we've already eaten a quart of that total!!!)
• I made a skirt out of a pair of jeans that I was going to re purpose into something less glorious. (Like hot pads for the dining room table!) It turned out beautiful, if I may say so myself, (and I do!) and will be sharing soon.
• I bought some lettuce and spinach seeds which I hope to get planted either today or tomorrow using a method I read about in "Mother Earth News." (I don't necessarily agree with some of the articles, or even the name of the magazine, but it has been an absolute treasure trove of information for me!)
• Last night at dinner, I started labeling sticks for our family's Prayer Pail. The child that I thought was going to be the most resistant was actually the one with the most ideas! I'm really looking forward to this part of the day, and praying that the rest of the family will, too.
• I multi-tasked this morning. (I know, what else is new for a woman!) I folded laundry while watching "Foodmatters" on Netflix. Now, I did not realize that this was a huge site, with products, etc., but I will say that if you are interested in all about eating better for your health, this documentary will really make you think. I recommend it for everyone, but especially those dealing with chronic health issues. I will be posting a more in depth review* at a later (hopefully sooner!) date.
• When looking into Home Depot for seed starting items, etc., I discovered that Burpee makes seeds and accompanying products with Disney Princesses. My first impulse was to scarf one of each up to bring home to my Princess, but I quickly came to my senses and realized that we could grow flower seeds in a regular (although home decorated version, of course!) seed flat with our own frilly homemade plant markers as we could the cutsie little pink ones that were quite high priced. I did, however, but a packet of the Disney seeds because I'd never seen that variety of flower before and it's beautiful. So Princess and I have a mother/daughter girly gardening project.
• The injured girls (which are quite recovered) have been integrated back into the flock. They all seem to be getting along so far. It's been less that 24 hours, but I'm praying that we won't need to separate them again anytime soon.

Well, that's all I can come up for for now. Have a lovely day all!
Blessings,
Kelly

Double Sided Table Runners

The solid green side can be for Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, or any day you want to use green! The shamrocks are for St. Patrick's day. You can't really tell in this pic, but the green has a gold sparkle to it, while the shamrock side has a silver sparkle sheen.

The solid purple side is for Lent, the print is for Easter. I absolutely adore the Easter print, which was the only Easter print that I could find that wasn't completely secular. This has "He Is Risen" and "Rejoice" printed on it, so it is truly a print worthy of the occasion!

Yesterday I mentioned that I was able to do some sewing. I had wanted to make a table runner for Lent. In an article I had read about sharing Lent with your children, the author suggested using a purple table cloth for the season. Table cloths + my family doesn't work unless it's vinyl, which I'm not sure if I could find a purple vinyl table cloth, unless it had bunnies on it. So, when I had purchased the fabric for the chicken saddles I saw the shade of purple that I really liked. (And yes, the chicken saddles now match my Lenten linens.)

 Anywhoo, the kids went with my mother in law yesterday afternoon, so I pulled out the iron and sewing machine. I knew exactly how I wanted my table runner and shelf scarves to look. I had purchased a sort of gold shade of thread and wanted to use one of the fancy stitches that my machine can do. I wanted to iron the hems in and pin them so all was straight and neat. But then I looked at the clock and felt a twinge in my back and thought how in the world was I really going to do this? (And along with my Martha tendencies, I am also very instant gratification oriented. Sound like fun, don't I? Wanna come over and craft? ;0)

I looked at my fabrics and decided that the easiest and neatest way to make these (sorry, I forgot to mention that I wanted to make the green table runner for Mardi Gras, too!) was make them double sided. You see, I'm also rather cheap frugal when it comes to craft supplies, preferring to wait for sales, coupons and (the best!!!!) clearance. I had only bought 1/2 a yard of the shamrock print and saved 1/2 yard of the purple material for my table runner. I had plenty of the green sparkle because that had been on clearance (yay!!!) for like a dollar a yard years ago before I even had children. (I know, yada, yada, yada, get to the point rambling woman that has conversations with her cat) With only 4 pieces of fabric, each 1/2 yard, I ended up with two table runners for about 6 holidays/seasons.

Reasons to make double sided table runners:

• it saves time- you don't have to sew 2 runners for 2 different holidays/seasons/occasions
• it saves money- you don't have to buy more than you absolutely need of a costly fabric or buy another piece of fabric to back it
• it saves space- you'll only have to store half the table runners that you need

Now, I'm not going to give any sort of tutorial here. I think we can all agree that I'm not that good at it! And besides, it rather easy. Sew your fabric faces/right sides together, leaving an opening so that you can turn it right side out. Once you have it turned right side out, iron it so it is nice and flat, the seems pressed out neatly. Now, keeping a consistent seam allowance, sew around the edge of the runner all the way around. Voila! You've got a table runner!

These are the two shelf scarves that I made. The one with the fancy stitching on the right is on the secretary that is on our family faith wall. The one on the left is on a little shelf in my bedroom where I've made a little prayer corner. Unfortunately the fancy stitching made the fabric pucker, so I was only able to do it on the two sides of the shelf scarf, and not at all on my table runner. :(

Well, it's time to turn in for the evening. I'll be sharing more about our family faith wall and preparing for Lent. Have a lovely evening, Friends.

Blessings,

Kelly

Pancake Tuesday, Mardi Gras and/or Shrove Tuesday

Our morning started with chocolate chip pancakes.

The kiddos and I sat down to these lovelies and added some butter and, of course, Daddy's homemade syrup.

After chores we had craft time. We made crowns and masks for Mardi Gras.

These are the boys' crowns.

Mimi got in on the action when she dropped of our King's Cake that we're having for dessert. I'll share pics of that later, she did a beautiful job of it!

This is a cat toy for Miss Merlin. I did some sewing in the afternoon. I'll show the fruits of that labor in a very near future post. Prissy cat didn't even care for her toy. It's stuffed with our last sprig of homegrown catnip. I put pretty, tantalizing ribbons on it. Humph!

This was our table for dinner. I got the coins and center piece at the dollar store. The table runner was one of the fruits of labor mentioned above.

I also took some time to work on our family faith wall for Lent. I got the Alleluia out so that we can bury it tomorrow, for Ash Wednesday. I'll post more about our family faith wall and preparing for Lent.

Well, that's our day! I'm off to have some King's Cake with my family. Have a lovely evening, Friends.
Blessings,
Kelly

Getting the Garden Ready

Seed starting supplies

Flat #2 doing very well with green bell peppers and herbs

Princess helped on the second round of seed starting

We were blessed with a double rainbow!

Happy Friday,  Friends! We had a beautiful start to the day, but it seems determined to cloud up! I actually have a load of laundry hang up outside for the first time in 2011, and hoping that the skies won't let loose until it's all dry.

The warmer temperatures have once again turned my mind to our garden for this year. Back in March I had started 2 flats of seeds. Unfortunately, only one flat did well and the other flat either neglected to sprout or it molded. Fortunately the flat that is doing well contains the green pepper seedlings, as well as some herbs. The other flat was mostly flowers, although I'm bummed because I had started marigolds for pest control. So, Monday evening Princess and I consolidated the two flats and restarted flat #1. We also started some sunflower seeds. (I've learned to start them inside, or else squirrels and chipmunks eat the seeds before they can sprout!) In flat #1 we started more peppers, some herbs, and flowers. I bought some seed starting pots (the kind you can just pop into the ground and they breakdown) and seed starting soil. I'm going to start the marigolds in these, as well as more green peppers. I would like to sell some if they do well.

When I started the seeds in March, I labeled them #1 and #2 on a corner. Then, using graph paper, I mapped out what cells I planted which seeds. As I'm a newbie to starting seeds, this was a must so I'd know what was doing well, etc. I'm so glad I did this because it helped when flat #1 molded, etc. When I replanted the flat, I just erased the notes and marked what I planted this time. I also made sure to put the flat in the sun as soon as I saw sprouts poking up. I have 2 seed flats, 2 plastic strawberry containers (I use them to start the sunflowers in), a large angel wing begonia, another house plant, and Wheels' cabbage plant (he got it at school) in the living room with a cage of chickens. I have a small scale farm in my living room!


Last night between rain showers, Princess and I started to clean out the garden. We had neglected to clean it out last fall  and there was a pile of leaves to get rid of. I'd like to let the chickees in there before we till it, which probably won't be for another week or two. The girls haven't been out yet and we've had atleast 2 hawks circling our area, so I thought a good intro for the girls would be the fenced in garden while I'm finishing cleaning it up. I'll bring them back in with me when we're done, though!

I've also found a blog that I LOVE! I've learned so much and gotten tons of inspiration from reading it. On the left hand side of my post, you'll see a heading "My Blog List". On this you'll see a link for Homestead Revival. Click it! Even if you don't homestead or even garden, you'll love the homekeeping posts!

It's been one of those all day posts! I started at 11 am and it's now past 8:30! Have a lovely evening, and get a good nights rest!

Blessings,

Kelly

Homemade Cleaners and What They Have to Do With Holy Weekend

Ingredients for Soap Jelly (taken yesterday, as you can see the sunshine on the bowl!)

Ingredients for homemade dishwasher detergent

Greetings on this cold, rainy/snowy Holy Saturday. Although I don't care for this weather, it seems a bit appropriate for the day, at least to my way of thinking. I can't help but wonder how the apostles and followers of Jesus must have felt that Saturday so many years ago. Aren't we blessed to know that tomorrow there will be rejoicing?!

So, you're probably wondering what in the world I mean by the title of today's post. (Then again, perhaps some of you are already familiar with the following concept!) In the past, Lent has been a time of Spring cleaning for both the soul and the home. (I couldn't find the specific sites about this, but if you Google "spring cleaning and Lent" you'll find some more info. there.) That being said, don't feel guilty or panicked if you haven't or don't plan on spring cleaning your home. You are in good company! I'm still playing catch up from when I worked nearly a month ago! However, with yesterday's sunshine, an impressive amount of money going out for the kiddo's baseball, and an urge to be more self sufficient, I looked up some recipes for homemade cleaners and detergents. 

I've been making my own laundry detergent for about a year now, and am very happy with the results. I got the recipe from the Duggar Family's site. I've only had to make it twice in the last year, and with it costing only about $2 to make a batch, it is well worth it! I ran out of stain remover, and rather than paying at least $2 for it at the store, I remembered the link to a recipe for homemade soap jelly for laundry stains. It's super easy and cheap to make! I used a one quart canning jar and it took about 3/4 of a bar. The one thing it didn't mention in the recipe is that you may want to stir it a few times as it cools. It separated into a bright yellow liquid with a cloudy white layer at the bottom, and I don't know if it would have jelled properly if I hadn't stirred it. I've yet to use it, but I'm confident!

I had also run out of dishwasher tabs. We use Cascade tabs with Dawn and bleach. After reading this, I returned the unopened bag I had bought and picked up a pack of pink lemonade. (I had the rest of the ingredients already). I doubled the recipe to nearly fill a 1 qt. canning jar. I added 4 packs of  pink lemonade Kool-Aid for the citric acid, and kept one out to clean the dishwasher. (Read this article to learn more about cleaning your dishwasher) Again, I haven't used it yet, but I've had to use borax and baking soda before when we'd run out of tabs, and was fine with the result. I think the addition of citric acid and kosher salt will "pump up" the results! I think I will also add a small squirt of Dawn to help cut grease because we use Tupperware plates and tumblers.  I'll let you all know how it works when I've used it!

My plans for Holy Week did not go as, well, planned! I was gone every evening this week either for a church activity or baseball practice. It seemed as though time flew by and there wasn't any extra to work on crafts or put an effort into special meals that would just get wolfed down before heading off the the field. Next year I won't hold off on the crafts until the end, and try to not book so much during the week. Of course, Lent and Easter were late this year, so baseball shouldn't be a factor for 2012. I'm obviously much better at planning than executing said plans!

Blessing for a Happy and Meaningful Resurrection Sunday friends. May it be filled with joy, love, family and His presence.
Blessings,
Kelly

Wordless Wednesday

Many blessings for a bright and beautiful Wednesday!

Kelly

Tackling Tuesday and F.R.O.G.

Greetings this rainy Tuesday. It has not started well for us, but I'm thinking I need an attitude adjustment! Poor Teddy Bear woke up with the tummy bug AGAIN! And Mama woke up with a horrid back ache and not feeling rested at all. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a truly amazing husband who let me stay in bed an extra half an hour with the heating pack, while he got Wheels and Princess their breakfasts, etc. Wheels was a very responsible boy and woke his sister up for Daddy and made his own lunch!

So, I find myself working on tasks other than housework. I have lessons for Children's Church to make up, coloring sheets to look on the web for, info to search for, and a craft for next week to prepare. Then my Mom (the kids call her Mimi) came up to keep an eye on Teddy Bear for me so that I could take a nap with the heating pack. When I woke up, she had done the dishes and folded laundry for me! Again, I am so blessed to have a caring and helpful mother that is always there for me! Teddy Bear hasn't gotten sick since early this morning and is actually on an eating rampage. Good thing I went grocery shopping yesterday!

I've decided to take it easy for the remainder of the day, and besides helping the kiddos with homework and making dinner, I'll probably be working on the computer. I know that if I don't, I won't be good for anything tomorrow. And that can just set me further behind.

One more thing before I go- April is Autism Awareness month, a condition that touches the hearts of our family. Please visit Autismspeaks.org to learn more. Also, April is Frog month! As you may or may not know, there is an acronym for frog meaning Fully Rely On God.  This is not always easy, as we are human and prideful and impatient; however, I think that this is a good month to start remembering F.R.O.G. What in your life are you not fully relying on God for? What is keeping you from doing this and what do you need to do to hand it over? I really encourage you to take some time to do this. And then sit down with your Bible and read about all the times the Lord has shown Himself mighty and faithful. He loves you, and knows what you need, and will see to providing it.

Have a good rest of your Tuesday! Many blessings,

Kelly

Manic Monday

Happy Monday to all! Before I get started, I apologize if I ramble. It's one of those days where I have too much buzzing around in my brain. And, it's been a crazy morning. I should have known how may day would be when I woke up 20 minutes late, forgot my coffee on the table as I rushed out the door and got everything loaded onto the belt at Walmart before realizing that my darling hubbie had forgotten to return the debit card to me and I'd forgotten to return the checkbook to my purse. Luckily, I did remember that it was out in the car in my Bible case. I love how creatively the Lord can use His Word to save us!

These are some of the things going on in my head:

• getting a craft binder together
• coming up with craft projects for school vacation next week
• a special outing for Princess and I while the boys are in Conn. with Gramma and Grampa
• getting some mending done on my *new!!!!!!!* sewing machine
• getting Princess' purse made on my *new!!!!!!!* sewing machine
• finding information on raising chickens
• getting the laundry done
• getting the hutch cleaned off
• finishing the Easter lap book I started for the kiddos
• washing more canning jars for syrup (so far we've made nearly 4 gallons- not bad for only 25 taps!)
• putting a dinner menu together for the rest of the week
• finding my last paycheck so we can buy building materials for a chicken coop
• looking for seed starting flats
• 
  

  getting a craft binder together
• 
  

  finding information on raising chickens
• 
  

  planning our garden

 Can you tell what things I'm most excited about? The craft binder idea is not my original idea, I saw it on a youtube clip, but I have plans for my own! (I promise to share when done!) And I need info. on chickens because after years of asking my husband if we could have chickens, he finally relented and agreed. Of course, it took having a tick embedded in his skin and a trip to the ER and the doctor telling him that chickens eat ticks (I'd told him this YEARS ago!) for him to realize what a wonderful idea having chickens is! I'm really excited and so are the kids, if I can gauge by arguments over who's going to collect eggs and feed them! So far, Teddy Bear is the only one to volunteer to clean up the poop!

Well, that's enough for today. Come back soon, as I have our Easter lap book and the links I used to make it, to share, as well as some craft projects. Have a great rest of your Monday and hope to be back tomorrow!

Blessings,

Kelly

A Lovely (if frantic!) Friday!

Happy Friday! So far it is clear skies, and despite the light dusting of snow, it feels more like spring! The birds are singing and some of our feathered friends have returned from their trip south. Monday morning I saw a red winged black bird in one of our trees, Wednesday Princess pointed out 2 robins on the front yard and this morning we saw a small wedge of geese! Winter may still have it's grasp on us, but it's loosening by the day.

Well, Friday at our house means clean bedrooms! The kids strip their beds before going to school  and the washer gets started shortly after so that there are clean linens to put back on! The kiddos also have to have everything picked up off the floor (and hopefully put in the proper place!) so that Mama can dust and vacuum. Some Fridays I spend a few minutes tidying up their bureau drawers, but for the most part, I'm letting them take on the putting away of their own laundry. I usually set the timer for about 15-20 minutes for me to be in each bedroom (the boys share a room) or else I'd spend the whole day upstairs cleaning and organizing! The upstairs hall gets dusted and vacuumed as well. Then on to Mama and Daddy's room. I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures so that pillows and comforters can be aired out on the deck. There is nothing like slipping between sweet smelling sheets on a Friday night, after a long and hectic week.  Unless of course you have a pint of Ben & Jerry's before sleeping off the peaceful sleep!

So, has anyone else put any thought into spring cleaning? I've been thinking of it often, making a mental list of things that need to be done (it would be easier to make a list of things that don't need to done!) and working on revamping my planning system. I was going to dedicate this week to evaluating and planning spring cleaning, but that seemed to get shoved aside when we came under attack of the stomach virus again!

Speaking of revamping my planning system, I've been meaning to finish up my posts on my home keeping notebook, but I have been working on it and re-evaluating it. As soon as it is done, I'll post it. The trick to keeping a home keeping notebook ( or any organization system) is finding what works for you. If it doesn't work, you won't use it and things will fall to chaos once more! Research, put some time into planning and be flexible when it comes to an organization/planning system.

Time to get going! There's laundry to wash, floors to vacuum and errand to run! Wishing you a lovely Friday full of sunshine and birdsong!
Blessings,
Kelly