Category Archives: On the Homestead

Feeling Like Home

Posted on May 28, 2013 | 3 Comments

When you move into a new house there are things you can do to make it feel like home.  Some of my favorites are:  hanging family pictures on the walls, organizing my closet, setting up the classroom (aka dining room) , and getting the kitchen up and running.

We don’t just set up a home; we set up a homestead.  That means that there are a few more I would like to include on my list:  building the chicken house, preparing and planting gardens, and fencing in the goat pens are some of them.  This weekend Mark and his helpers, the kids, finished putting up the one item that I consider  absolutely necessary to making a house a home and some land a homestead:  the clothesline!

Cleaning up the last bit of gravel and planting some grass seed will finish off the area the clothesline is in.

Hello significant savings on the power bill and lovely air-dried clothing!

Now, let me walk you around to a few other spots on our homestead that have helped to settle us in!

Let’s start with some of the gardens.  Seeing new squash appearing daily is fabulous!!  I can already taste the zucchini brownies.  Mmmm!

Squash Striata d’Italia from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

The tomato plants have really taken off over the past two weeks, and I am finding bunches of new blooms all promising juicy tomatoes!

I am ecstatic about our tomatoes and completely frustrated with the cucumbers. I have to replant cucumbers thanks to the squirrels!

My favorite morning chore is feeding the ducks and the chickens.  They know my voice and make quite a racket in anticipation of breakfast.

Ninja is on the left and Cheese is on the right.

Our beautiful boy, Ferdinand.

They are always curious to see if I brought them a treat.

My homesteading heart is happy to see sheets out drying in the sun, but here is much more work to do around our little homestead.

Up next on my list:  finish fencing in the goat pen.

Do you have a clothesline?

What are some of the things that helps make a new house feel like home to you?

All for God’s glory,

~Rhen

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Posted in Family Life, gardening, homesteading, in the garden, On the Homestead, Our critters, Rhen, Thankful

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For the Love of Strawberries

Posted on May 6, 2013 | 3 Comments

We are a family who loves fresh fruits and veggies, so when the opportunity came to pick strawberries, we loaded up the van and headed to the strawberry fields!

I thoroughly enjoyed our little adventure.   It was a great morning that rolled  science lessons, math lessons, a field trip, a buffet, and a fun time all in to one.

We divided the girls into teams of one Big, one Middle, and one Little with a basket and a goal.  The boys grabbed a basket and headed off with manly swagger to fill theirs faster than their sisters.    It is always a race.  Whatever it is, it is always a race!

They worked hard, but enjoyed every moment of it.  My job was to run the filled baskets up to the “office” and grab an empty one for them to fill.

In the picture above, you can see my boys (Israel -2, and Noah -14) roaming the fields eating and picking.   I am not sure if any of the strawberries that made it into Israel’s hands were ever put into the baskets.

The strawberries were so ripe, juicy, and sweet.

At the top of the fields stood an old shack whose front porch served as the “office”.  It fit perfectly with the couple who handed out baskets and took payment.

We took our bounty of eight overly full gallon baskets home to process.  The little trick of using a straw to core each berry worked beautifully.   Simply use a clean straw to poke through the berry from the bottom up towards the stem.  It will core it and pop the top off with ease.

We put all of the tops, cores, and trimmings to the side and fed them to the chickens.  They were delighted with their treat!  Oh, the happy squawking!

I dried 5 trays of strawberries in my dehydrator.  The chips will be used in our homemade energy bars.  They add nice crunch and flavor.

I cut up and froze a large portion of the strawberries to use in cobblers, smoothies, pies, and homemade ice cream this summer.

 I also attempted to oven dry strawberries as seen in this pin on Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/pin/102527328989401617/).   It did not work well at all.  The berries never dried as described and were far too moist to can in jars or bags.  Mold would have spoiled them quickly.  It is too bad it didn’t work.  If you try to oven dry them (not dehydrate them into chips), and it actually works, let me know what you did!    I am still intrigued by the idea.

With our strawberry harvest such a success, I am now looking toward our next fruit-filled adventure at the end of the month when we head out to pick peaches!

Do you enjoy getting out to the farms and being a part of the harvesting?

All for God’s glory,

~Rhen 

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Posted in Being Healthy, On the Homestead, Family Life, The Youngin's, Large Family Life, Young Man, Ms. Independent, Ms. Giggles, Ms. Dimples, Rhen, Little Man, in the kitchen, in the garden, As seen on Pinterest

Progress in the Upper Garden- It’s Getting There!

Posted on April 16, 2013 | 5 Comments

It’s not easy building gardens from scratch or rebuilding ones that are in complete disrepair, but it’s well worth the time and effort!   One of our three raised beds is just to the side of the house and named The Upper Garden.

It started out with giant gardenia bushes taking up most of the front of the bed.  I trimmed those back pretty drastically, but it will help with the shock of transplant and make them healthier as they grow back.  It took a good bit of digging to get them out of the ground.  They are now planted along the side of the driveway and will help to create a living screen between our closest neighbors and ourselves.  They are wonderful people, but I am sure they will appreciate the addition of privacy as much as we will.

  Most of the landscaping timbers were rotten and in desperate need of replacing. The railing on the back of the bed is attached to a cinderblock wall.  There is a about a 12 foot drop to the patio that our basement opens up to.  This railing was a top priority to keep the kids safe!

Once the bushes were removed, the rotten wood torn away, and the railing completed, Mark and I began rebuilding the terraced garden with 2×6′s and 4×4 posts.

We worked compost, shredded leaves, soil, and other amendments into both tiers of the garden to give a healthy and living base for our plants.

An afternoon of companion planting research and I have decided that this bed is for tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, lavender, multiple herbs, carrots, and a few marigolds.

The bottom left of the bed has cucumber and squash seeds that I am eagerly awaiting the sprouting of.

I have lavender, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and cilantro is planted around my fountain on the right of the bed.  The top tier is full of tomato plants, and is awaiting the carrots and marigolds I have yet to sow.

I have planted lavender to use in my soaps and around the house.  After many years of being stored in tubs, I am finally able to unpack my collection of frogs to decorate my gardens.  This fat toad is one of my favorites.

I am also working on a little pathway to access the water spigot as well as harvest the herbs that are now in this area.

I am short just a few bricks to finish this path.  I am thinking of planting something in the spaces.  Any recommendations?

Next up, getting my fountain flowing!  I find the splashing sounds of the water trickling over the sides to be very relaxing.   A seating area just to the right of this garden (up on the porch) is where you will find me most mornings.

Once the plants have started filling out, I will update with a picture.

How are your garden plans going?  If you have written about it, share the link in the comments!

God bless,

~Rhen

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Posted in gardening, in the garden, Mr. Muscles, On the Homestead, Projects, Rhen

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Saving Money Without The Crazy

Posted on March 18, 2013 | 3 Comments

If you follow me on Facebook, then you know about my recent introduction to the tv show Extreme Couponing.

I am intrigued and fascinated by the dedication these people have to amassing great quantities of grocery store items and imitating said grocery stores inside of their own homes.  Shelves and shelves, rows and rows, and looming towers of toiletries, drinks, and boxed goods take up whole rooms!

While I would never buy most of what they hoard, some of the items have my frugal side perking up and taking notice.  Getting toilet paper, paper towels, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, ponytail holders, cottonballs, cottonswabs, and floss for little money or free is definitely something I am interested in!

After gorging on 8 episodes (thank you, Netflix!) in a row, I have been inspired to try the whole couponing thing again.  Will you see me with binders and boxes of coupons?  No.  Will I be dedicating 20 to 30 hours a week to couponing?  No.  I have a goal of saving money without the crazy, obsessive, diving-into dumpsters, and stealing peoples’ papers side of couponing.  *grin*

I challenged myself to saving just $15.00 per week.  That would be a savings of $780.00 per year.  Any money saved about that $15.00 per week is all gravy, my friends.

How did my first week go?  I saved $26.00!  Booyah!

Coupons and I, we hit it off quite nicely.

So, how did this healthy-eating family save money?  Let me share my oh-so-short, yet fun, jaunt into coupons so far.

Costco is my weekly grocery store.  By simply planning this week’s meals and food stock-ups based on the coupons they are offering this month, I saved $7.00.  That was easy!

Next, I focused on another store we use frequently, Earth Fare.  They offer coupons, put out a weekly specials flyer, and have a point rewards card for shopping there.  Just for signing up, I received an organic whole fryer chicken for free.  I also was able to grab up an Irish cheese they were offering free this week.  Their coupon book had coupons for a couple of items we needed for this week’s menu, and a little perusing on the internet afforded me a couple of manufacturer’s coupons as well.  Total saved at Earth Fare, $18.00!

While $26.00 may not seem like a lot to some, it is a great step forward and an encouragement to me.  Just a little preplanning and checking the internet for sales and coupons to the stores I frequent, and I can save a little cash.  That little cash adds up to big cash!

My minimum per week is still $15.00, but I am a person who loves a good challenge, so you know full well that I will be looking to beat $26.00 next week.  *wink*

Do you coupon?  Are you a healthy-eating family who coupons?  How is it working out for you?  Any tips to help me reach my challenge goal this week?

God bless,

~Rhen

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Posted in Being Frugal, Being Healthy, Challenges, Family Life, Happening Daily, in the kitchen, Rhen

January Thus Far

Posted on January 23, 2013 | 2 Comments

January has been overflowing with new additions to our little homestead, wacky Southern weather, gymnastics meets, schoolwork, getting the inside of a new house put together projects, birthdays, and a to-do list of outside projects that is about a foot long!

Say hello to our newest additions!

Three of our nine newest chickens.

We hatched out 10 new little chickies, though one of them died soon after.  Unfortunately, it hatched with part of its intestines outside of its abdomen.

I have been hatching chickens, guineas, and ducks for years, and this is the first time I have experienced this particular problem.  Blessedly, I have seasoned homesteaders I can talk to and learn from!

Remember those adorable tiny puppies we rescued?

They are now just a bit over six months old and have grown a smidge.  *grin*

Zeke and Judah are learning their manners and will soon be introduced to our chickens.  Training our dogs to protect and not chase our chickens is essential.

They take their jobs as pillows for the children, chewers of toys left out, and being vigilant of ninja squirrels very seriously!  I will be immensely happy when they get out of the chewing stage.  Despite my efforts to provide them with plenty of appropriate chewing options, they just have to find a wayward toy to destroy.  On a positive note, there are less toys to pick up!

My list of to-do’s on our homestead is oh so long, but the weather is not cooperating.  Weeks of rain and cold temperatures, followed by snow and even colder temperatures, has kept us indoors far too long.

I am a Southern girl!  I had my fill of snow and cold during our time in the north.  Dear snow, I hate to be rude, but… go away!

I need a few days of decent temperatures and no rain, so I can finish building and filling our raised beds.  Planting for this region begins in mere weeks and not months!

We will be starting seeds indoors within the next week.  Little cups of soil and seeds will be EVERYWHERE!  Yay!

While I harvested most of my seeds from last year’s crops, I enjoy growing new varieties.  Where do I buy all of my seeds from?  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  (No, they did not ask me to, pay me to, or sponsor me to say that.)  I am a huge fan of their varieties, customer service, and their catalog is absolute art!

Look at how fabulous the Cosmic Purple Carrot is!

Click picture for source!

The Jaltomato looks interesting!  I love finding new fruits for jellies.

Click picture for source!

This Pattison Panache squash will be in my garden this summer!

Click picture for source!

What is happening in your family this January?

Are you trying any new fruits or veggies this coming season?

God bless!

~Rhen

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Posted in homesteading, in the garden, Large Family Life, On the Homestead, Our critters, Rhen, The Youngin's

View From My Porch (Link Up)

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 9 Comments

Welcome to this week’s edition of View From My Porch!

This week’s post has been provided courtesy of our five-year old tornado, Susannah.

Beautiful glass, isn’t it?

Can you guess what it is?

Here is a little bit of a wider shot.

It is the fifth gazing ball that has been smashed into tiny beautiful shards that are so incredibly difficult to find and clean up.

While the untimely demise of my gorgeous glass ball lies firmly on the shoulders of Susannah and her bike, she did not break all five of them.  No, no, no, the whole family has joined in on the attacks against the lovelies I like to adorn my gardens with.  Mark (hubs), Noah (14), Emily Grace (12), and the roughness of moving have all done their part.

It is a conspiracy, I tell you!

As is so apparent, I cannot have glass or anything breakable in my gardens, but I love the look of a colorful orb.  So, that brings me to my next question.  Can you help me?  What can I repurpose, make, and/ or create to take the place of my far too delicate glass gazing ball?  We are talking a need for Superman durability here!

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So, what are you going to share from the view from your porch?

To God be the glory,

~Rhen

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Posted in Family Life, in the garden, Large Family Life, Mr. Muscles, Ms. Firecracker, Ms. Giggles, Photographs, The Youngin's, View From My Porch, Young Man

Sometimes the world really does stop.

Posted on December 27, 2012 | 2 Comments

It is time for an update on the happenings around our little homestead.  From the heart-stopping to the every day comings and goings of a family of ten, we have it all!  *grin*

Let’s start with heart-stopping, shall we?

Our family, which rarely gets sick, was struck down by the crud.  You know the crud.  That nasty stuff where sinus drainage likes to try to stick in your chest, it gives you that tickle spot in your throat, and you walk around hacking like a 90-year-old man with emphysema.

While most of us responded well to our tried-and-true home remedies, one of us did not.

When I arrived home from Emily Grace’s practice Thursday evening, I found that Hannah (10) was sleeping the entire time I was gone.  By the time she made it up the stairs she was out of breath, and 5 minutes later, she still couldn’t catch her breath.

Daddy carried her to the car, and we headed to the emergency room.  Apparently, in the two days after her doctor appointment, something went very wrong.  That “wrong” brought about an ambulance ride and an almost 4 day stay at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.

The official diagnosis:  atypical pneumonia.  Sometimes the world really does stop, and my world did just that.  I am so grateful for family (Granny and Cousin A) who came and kept our household running while I stayed at the hospital with Hannah.  Daddy did double duty between taking care of the rest of the children and spending time with Hannah.

It is a horrible feeling being completely helpless to make your child well again.  Every little noise and movement has you wide awake and watching them carefully.  The first night, or what was left of it, I slept sitting in a chair next to her bed with my head resting next to her feet.  I may have totaled 2 hours of sleep in the first 36 hours.

I know that in the grand scheme of things I have little to no control in what happens in life, but it is going through things like this that make it all to in-your-face apparent.

I am thankful to you all for your prayers and uplifting thoughts, and I am most grateful to God for answering those prayers.

Hannah has been home for a few days now and improving by leaps and bounds.  The crud is leaving our family, and we are all FINALLY getting back to our own version of normal.  *grin*

On the homestead front, our chickens have finally made the move to the chicken house!  It was perfect timing.  The temperatures have dropped and we have had some seriously dangerous storms come through over the past week.  They are much safer and warmer in the chicken house as opposed to the brooder box.

Today, I put an entire bale of fresh hay in the chicken house and one in the run.  We learned some time ago that chickens are spectacular at creating healthy compost.  We fill our chicken run with appropriate kitchen scraps, leaves, some grains, and hay, and our chickens will scratch, peck, eat, digest, and finally poop all in the run.  We keep adding fresh “ingredients”, and they keep composting it all.  Every couple of months we clean it all out, add it to the gardens, and start over.

Today is also the day I have started on my great grain sprouting experiment for the chickens.  Here is the original pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/102527328988722130/

I am taking pictures and keeping notes!

Next, I have to prepare a piece of charcoal to put in there.

Here is that pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/102527328988620262/

I have just a couple of details to finish on the chicken house and I will finally get to share it with you.  Why yes, I have been taking a whole lotta pictures!

I will have to tell you about my garden progress later, or this post will be far too long!

God bless!

~Rhen

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Posted in Family Life, Large Family Life, Ms. Lovebug, On the Homestead, Our critters, Thankful, The Youngin's

Crock Pot Oatmeal Deliciousness

Posted on December 22, 2012 | 8 Comments

Recently, Brandy (The Marathon Mom) shared a pin on making oatmeal in the crock pot.
If you are anything like me, you just had two thoughts:
1.) I would expect burnt, hard oatmeal
2.) or I would expect a gelatinous glob

Neither sounds appetizing, does it?
Reading the comments under the pin didn’t do much to change my mind, but I decided to go for it anyway. If it works, it would make Sunday morning breakfast a no-brainer and so much faster. After all, getting a family of ten out the door in a reasonable amount of time is already enough of a rodeo show. Streamlining breakfast would be awesomesauce. *grin*

The original pin calls for:

  • 2 peeled and cut up apples
  • 2/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
  • 4 cups of water

Layer these in this order in your crock pot and DO NOT stir. Cook on a very low setting for 10 hours. Stir and serve in the morning.

This is the crock pot full and ready to go Saturday night. I DID NOT stir the ingredients.

I doubled the recipe, used raw Demerara sugar, and organic Pink Lady apples.
It was de-li-cious! Huge hit!

Ready to go the next morning!

Now, I triple the recipe. Doubling it only gave each person one serving. Most of my kids like to have seconds, even if it is just a little bit.

Nice and creamy!

Since then, I have used peaches and blackberries (separately) we harvested and froze last summer. The kids gave both of those breakfasts two thumbs up. Next, I will be trying it with strawberries. Mmmm!

Two thumbs up?

What is your I-gotta-get-out-the-door-fast go-to breakfast?

God bless,

~Rhen

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Posted in Being Healthy, in the kitchen, The Youngin's

View From My Porch (Link Up)

Posted on December 11, 2012 | 7 Comments

Good morning, and welcome to our very first View From My Porch weekly link up!

It was an agonizing decision as to what I would share with you all on this first post.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t really agonizing, but it was hard!  *grin*

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I have a soft spot for old things that are tossed aside when they still have so much left to offer.

One of the items we inherited with this house is an old bench  that sits just outside our front door.  Though the back left leg is about two inches shorter than the other three, and it had that grayish color of neglect, something about it told a story.

It was just days after I gave it a fresh coat of bright yellow paint and propped up the back leg with a small piece of wood that I learned more of its history.

The original owner was a wonderfully sweet, elderly woman who was called home before we made our move into this house.  For many, many years it sat on her front porch and saw the hustle and bustle of her family.

When I look at the bench I can imagine conversations and laughter over a cup of coffee, a father sitting there putting on his work boots, and the perfect spot for a moment of rest as a mom keeps up with an energetic toddler.

I wonder how many little boys have rolled and crashed their toy trucks over the edge just as Israel (21 months) does.

I wonder how many little girls have played tea party on it as our little girls have.

I enjoy thinking about all of the family and celebrations and life moments this old bench has witnessed over the years.

It has a lot of life left in it yet, and I am looking forward to adding our family’s history to what makes this old bench a little something special.

You’re turn!  What is your view from your porch see?

God bless,

~Rhen

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Taking Giant Homestead Steps Forward

Posted on November 26, 2012 | 6 Comments

It has been almost three years since our family’s move back to our home state of Alabama, and we have been more than ready to get our homestead up and charging full steam ahead.

If you have that homesteading spirit, then you understand just how hard it is to put those dreams on the back burner until you find the right home and property.  In our previous house, Mark and I would walk around and talk of chickens and chicken houses, guineas and gardens, and milk goats.  Now that we are in this new house, we are turning all of that talk into action, and I am loving it!!

My fantastic hubs, Mr. Muscles, has completed the building of the chicken house,the outside accessible nesting box, ladder roost, run door and ramp, and has only to run power to it.  It is such a blessing to be married to an electrician!  :)

We have spent no money at this point in building our chicken house.  Rather, it has been built by investing a lot of time and hard work by reclaiming wood from an old deck that we have been tearing down.  The paint, red for the walls and white for the trim, was scavenged from someone who was throwing it away.  The windows were also being discarded, so we put those to good use as well!

The chicken house is almost done! I have one more coat of red to put on it, then I can move onto painting the trim white.

I have a little place in my heart for old barns, so that my chicken house has that look to it makes me smile.  Hubs is no longer surprised when I start yelling for him to pull over so that I can photograph an old barn that has caught my attention.  *grin*

Next comes adding the attached chicken run.  Mark (hubs) and Noah (14) started setting posts and framing it in this past weekend.  While we have the wood to repurpose into the framing, we have had to purchase the chicken wire.

Now we need some chickens to call our new chicken house home!  Less than two weeks ago we hatched out 7 chicks that are currently housed in our master bathroom.  What?  You don’t keep chicks in your bathroom?   I know some of you do!

My mom is blessing us with several laying hens just as soon as the chicken run is completed!  I am beyond ready to start gathering eggs from our own hens again.

Some of the chicks we have hatched out!

Also around the homestead, the cool weather makes it a lot easier to work on our future raised beds.  While Mark is building the chicken house and run, I have been focusing my attention on claiming this area for two raised beds that will step down this slope.  I have several 4×4′s that need to be moved and a good bit of digging to give a solid foundation.  I have great plans for this area, including a new paint job on the lattice work that surrounds underneath the porch.

Our future raised beds. :)

I can’t wait to give you the grand tour of our chicken house and share its little details when it is completed and teeming with chickens (which will hopefully be next week!)

Do you hear that homesteading call?

To God be the glory,

~Rhen

This post is linked up with Homestead Revival’s Barn Hop!

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Posted in homesteading, in the garden, Large Family Life, Mr. Muscles, On the Homestead, Our critters, Projects, Rhen, Young Man