Butterflies, changes and sorrow

The past five months have been packed with changes from all sides.  Last year we really did not focus on the homestead too much.  We were all in different directions.  One daughter was pregnant and I attended her prenatal appointments with her, as her husband could not get off work for each one.  I helped her prepare for her little one.  It was exciting and a little sad as I watched my eldest daughter become a mother.  She opted to use a midwife and to have a water birth at home.  I was very excited and blessed to be included.  I have been attending births for over 10 years, studying and making plans to become a midwife myself some day.

In September of last year my daughter gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Samus Michelle.  She was born at 38 weeks but sadly was stillborn.  This has been very devastating for all involved.  I have discovered after going through it myself that I can bear anything for me, but for my daughter I have grieved more for this promised grandchild then my own that I have lost.

The aftermath of being available for my daughter and her husband had us putting the majority of everything on hold in our own home.

She and her husband have good days and bad as they deal with the loss of their daughter.  Thankfully God has blessed them with their own home, a 1920s Texas farm house in a small town close to family.  Concentrating on repairs and renovations, moving and decorating has helped us all tremendously.

Fast forward to 2019.  We are forging ahead with homestead plans and projects.  My scheduled looks like this:

January: Repair vehicles
February: Insulate loft, inventory food storage
March: Garden expansion, planting and trees
April: Organize and declutter bedroom and complete floors, ceiling (vacation)
May: re-screen front porch, landscape front of house, black out shades for house
June: Clean up barn area, burn trash, clean up land and repair fencing
July: Purchase tractor, repair driveway, cut and stack wood for winter
August: Finish pantry construction, start on kitchen reno (island, paint and backsplash)
September: Clean, organize and repair container (level, roof, shower, storage) (vacation)
October: Plant winter rye and oats for livestock, prepare location for Christmas tree seedlings, canning and food preservation
November: Finish wood stove area, clean chimney
December: Christmas preparations (we are hosting family this year)

We have had several long time pets pass this year.  Shout out to Muffin (12 years), Furry (8 years), Sophie (13 years).

PD#2 is volunteering at the local zoo (she wants to attend college and major in zoology), started driver's training, and is working her way through our homeschool/high school program. Staring dual credit at local college in fall
PS#2 turned 10 and is a hot mess
PS#1 turned 30 and is a hot mess (I see a theme)

Autumn Fires

I am not a really good blogger anymore, life gets in the way.  We are beginning our Fall clean up around here...getting things ready for Winter.  Our wood is on the way from the in laws, so we will be ready when cold weather hits.  We still need to clean the woodstove and chimney.

It has been raining most of the week, and we have received 5 inches total.  The pond is full, the pastures are greening up.  This pushes back our hay purchase, and means we won't have to feed as much hay.  Praise God!

This was a poor year harvest wise, and butchering wise.  We were extremely busy off the homestead, and most of the summer was taken up with my midwife training. 

PD#2 volunteered at the Zoo this summer, so she was away from home every weekend.  We didn't stray too far from home very often, only going to the beach for one weekend, celebrating PD#2's birthday.

PD#1 and her husband are expecting their first baby in a couple of weeks.  We are ready for the homebirth, everything purchased, cleaned and ready to go :) I am very excited to welcome my first grand daughter! They are also in the process of purchasing their first home.  Very exciting news as well!

The kids started schoolwork this week, and we had a very successful first week back homeschooling.  Accomplished much, and we were very productive :) always a positive step.

Texas weather

Good afternoon all! We have been dealing with wide swings in weather lately. From cold and overcast, rainy and temps in the 80s. It is hard to know what to start on. This seems like a very short Winter. I wish it would stay colder longer.

PD#2 and I have planted some garden items. Mainly salad items and herbs, but we did plant a variety of tomatoes. Potatoes are next on the list, and we will be planting next weekend.

All but one hen was killed by coyotes and stray dogs. We have not had that problem in 10 years, but our dog died recently, so he was not around to keep them at bay. A large dog is absolutely essential on a farm to keep the wildlife away from livestock.

A mountain lion is in the area too. He/she is wandering and lingering more than normal. I am worried about my calves, and trying to keep them close at night. A neighbor friend normally loses a couple of lambs each year to this big cat.

Trying to get motivated and find the energy to get outside and work on the property, but it is hard. I feel so blah, with all these gloomy days. Today is sunny, so heading out to do laundry and then back in to do some baking. I will upload more and pictures later.

Winter is here...or is it?

If you are familiar with living in TEXAS, you know that we can be freezing one day, with temps in the 90s the next.  The past week or so, we have had temps as low as 34 in the evening.  It has been great to have a fire in the wood stove again.  Thankfully, the cold spell is ending, because we really need to clean out the chimney from last year.

This past weekend was a heavy baking weekend.  I normally bake more when it is colder, and not 100 degrees out side.  We made a huge pan of corn bread and ate that with some honey from our recent harvest.  Baked an apple pie, chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin shaped sugar cookie to celebrate Autumn.  Also, made gingerbread at our homeschool co-op where I teach home economics.  We used the Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread recipe.  Came out awesome!

Our cows are getting woolly and putting on their winter coats, the horses too.  We really have a lot of farm chores to catch up with, and that we continue to put off.  This year has been a totally unmotivated, lazy year with regards to farm maintenance and improvements.

First fire 2017

Canklefritz

Canklefritz

Casey

Lil' Miss Squirrelly aka Bella

Casey

Apple Pie using a friend's canned pie filling

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Recipe

2017 Honey Harvest

It's Fall again!

Life sure gets away from you.  I cannot believe it has been so long since I have posted.  Trying to get life accomplished, stay offline, work, raise kids, home school and raise your own food is so time consuming.

We have had a lot go on this year farm-wise.  A good garden, butchering 4 pigs, and 25 chickens to ago along with the two cows in the freezer from last fall.  Still plenty to eat, though I did give quite a bit away, as well as, sell some.

We had a good spring garden though we didn't preserve any, just ate everything fresh.  PD#2 is working on the Fall/Winter garden now, and we were able to buy quite a few seed packets from Baker Creek Seed when we traveled to Missouri recently.  She is ready for Spring Planting now.

We have done quite a bit of  decluttering, cleaning, and renovations this year.  I am down to re-doing the pantry, and PH is working on clean up outside, and the wood pile for the Winter.  Thankfully, it is getting a little cooler, so he can work outside in the evenings, when he gets home from work.

We didn't even get 1/2 inch of rain from Hurricane Harvey, which is very sad, as our pond is dry.  I feel for the rest of TEXAS, but we sure could have used some rain after our prolonged drought.

My bees swarmed and left, so I have an empty hive, but I was able to find a local man/beekeeper who has placed 8 hives on my property.  He maintains the, shares the honey, and I get the agricultural exemption for our land.  It's a win-win!

Recently returned from a week long trip to Missouri.  I had a lot of fun, though PH and PD#2 did not enjoy the trip and living "off grid" again.  They are weenies.  We stayed in my BIL half finished cabin (no water, toilet or shower) but we did have electricity and a place to stay.  We hauled in water, used the solar shower, and a composting toilet.  They were not happy campers.  PS#2 enjoyed using 68 acres of trees to pee on, though he did balk a few times on the composting toilet.  At least I know when the world ends, there will be enough food for me, because those three won't make it.

We made it within 1/2 mile of our new property.  Our rental car would not make it up the hill, so we walked the last 1/2 mile through some very beautiful property covered in trees.  I would move today, but will have to wait until PH croaks or come around :)

It will be my vacation spot/BOL, etc.  Already making plans for a Spring (May/June) vacation.  Probably alone......LOL

Here are a few pics from our year.

PD#2 and her first buck (Dec 2016)

Decorating the house

Floor finished and new carpet

New flooring

Canklefritz and Casey - future meat
(dairy culls)

Me and one of the babies I helped to deliver this year
(Doula and Midwifery Student)

PD#2 Bay fishing 

PD#1 wedding last November

My antique violin - FOR SALE

Homegrown pork

Land I inherited in Missouri - visited September 2017

PS#2 - fishing in a Missouri Stream

So excited! I was finally able to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead/museum

Happy 2017!

Autumn Happenings

We have been scheduling purposeful down time, as wellas, working on projects we have not had time or energy for during the heat of the Summer. Cleaning up the land seems never ending, in addition to chores that need to be done for Winter and lists of what to prepare for Spring.

Winter - split firewood, pick up additional dead trees from sister, winterize animal pens especially coop, move out ACs, clean heaters, new filter for kerosene heater, additional kerosene for heater and lamps, pay taxes, more hay, trim horses hooves, worm all animals, breed pigs, meet with USDA on what best to do for property

Spring - what to plant? how much? look for and purchase tractor, shredder, disc, plow, small baler, clean incubators, purchase cattle panels to replace fencing

*We attended the local Pumpkin Palooza where the kids picked a pumpkin to decorate the table at home, rode the hay ride, made S'mores, played games and had fun. We do not celebrate Halloween, but rejoicing at the harvest God provides each year, which sustains us through until Spring. The farmer even gave us a pickup truck load of pumpkins, which we have been feeding to the pigs. PH mentioned he plans to plant our own pumpkins next year for animal feed. We will see what happens.

It is coming to that time of year where we gather the wild melons, which grow along the roadsides near our home. We fill up a wagon, and atack in the barn, for pig/goat feed duringthe Winter. I have seen a few that are ready, but it is normally Thanksgiving time when they ripen.

I have two piglets sold, which leaves me four to butcher for us, unless I sell any more, but we still plan to keep two for ourselves.

Tonight is the Fall Festival at the local Baptist Church. PD#2 and her best friend is helping to set up and run booths. We do not attend there, but PD#2 attends Bible Drill and Bible Study on Wednesdays with her friend. Her friend is 14, a year older, but her parents purchased a fully restored, beautiful 1951 Ford Pickup truck in a shiny teal blue.  It is a gorgeous truck. She will be getting her permit in April, and then a hardship license.  PD#2 has been learning to drive the car and the small tractor this year. I think she will end up getting her license earlier than PD #1 did at 18, as she seems to have a greater interest.

Four weeks until the wedding, we are winding down with last minute preps and activities. PD#1 is sorting through her belongings, throwing out a lot of trash, donating stuff to the local thrift store, and then packing the rest in Rubber Maid Totes. They still need to clean and organize their apartment, which is at the family business. They will live there for now, until they decide what is next. My advice was to live FREE, as long as, they could to get situated and figure things out budget wise. They both are working, and do not have any bills. They both have paid off vehicles, and money in the bank, so are in good shape starting out.  Our requirements for them to marry are/were to attend Christian marriage counseling, to be a believer and be attending church regularly, for him to have a way to support her, a home to take her to, and to agree to chaperones until marriage.

Her part was to continue working to help pay for the wedding, learn what was needed in running or help in running his family business, preparing a home. I believe both sets of parents have done all we can to provide them a good start in life through developing a relationship with God, modesty, chastity, obeidence, a good work ethic, financial management and more.  It has been a learning experience that is for sure.

Please keep us in prayer this next month, especially this new family that God is creating.