April is flying by!

We've been busy around the farm, cleaning up trash that blows in, caring for the animals and generally just living life. 

PH and I have been finishing up the siding on the South wall of the house, it's finally done! Yeah!  I have been the forklift operator, and PH stands in the basket to reach the high places.

We had our Resurrection Day services (Easter) here at the land.  This is the fourth year we have had these services.  This year we were able to meet in the house, which everyone seemed to enjoy.  The kids hunted eggs and we had a pinata.  We had a huge lunch and lots of fun.  I really enjoyed the day, though PS#2 got a little sunburned.

I always love to hear Pastor preach, and our honoring Christ's resurrection made it very emotional for me, even more so than celebrating His birth.

The three stooges (the pigs) keep breaking out of their pen, so PH will be welding a new pipe fence this weekend.  I can't wait!  We do let them free range, but when we aren't home and at night I like to pen them up.  They are cute, but very destructive.

I bought five grown Freedom Ranger roosters from a friend.  I'd like to butcher them this weekend, but will wait and see what PH has on his schedule.  We are also putting 42 more eggs in the incubator, and pray that a few will hatch out.  This will give me (hopefully) a few more egg layers or roosters to butcher.

I've been able to continue work on my pantry and enjoy stocking up, and being able to actually SEE what I have.  Makes it so much simpler to see what I am out of or low on and need to replenish.  I am also excited about organizing the inside of the container, and have purchased a few rubber maid totes to separate items. 

Two items added to my Lehman order will be a well pipe bucket and oil lamp holders w/reflector and smoke bell for the walls.  I am ordering ten. 

We've also been given an estimate for a small tornado shelter.  Hoping to be able to install it once the outside of the house is complete (i.e., the metal roof).

The weather has been beautiful, though hot some days.  We have had a few sprinkles at night, and the wind at night is amazing!  Tonight I had to close the windows in the house because things were flying off the table, and I was actually cold! 

The whole house fan that PH installed helps to keep the place cool during the day, but at night I try to keep the windows open until early a.m. when it is just too cool still and I end up closing them.

The garden is flourishing and Praise God my tomato plants are flowering and the corn is thriving.  Watermelons are next to be planted, and on the agenda for the weekend.

Nothing too exciting, just normal everyday homestead living.  Gardening, cooking, baking, taking care of the animals, collecting the eggs, hanging out the laundry and scaring the hawks away from the chickens.