A Full Day of Homesteading

We had our first warm weekend of the new year and we made the most of it.  It was a full-blown homestead Saturday!  These are the days I look forward to the most…family time outdoors with the feeling of great accomplishment (and exhaustion) when the day is done.

We started our day in the goat pen.  We walked through the field scooping up poop to use as fertilizer for the garden.  The kids helped rake and scoop and even provided their big plastic dump truck as a means from getting the poop to the garden.  My husband raked out the goat’s shelter and started a compost pile of hay and poop (as there was a lot of fertilization that had taken place in the shelter).  This task inspired him to go to the local farm store and buy a pitch fork.  It’s always exciting to get a new tool, right?

We made a family trip out of the deal, too.  We love going to Tractor Supply!  The kids got new kid sized shovels and gloves with which they helped shovel the garden and play in the sandbox.  The gloves also came in handy later when moving firewood to the house (and climbing trees).  We have had our fair share of cold weather lately and had depleted our rick of wood.   While in town we got produce seeds and onion starts so we will be ready for planting as it warms up.  I can’t wait!

After adding the fertilizer (goat poop) to the garden and returning from the store, it was time to till the garden.  I had gone to the front yard to water the flower bed shrubs and ivy and was thrilled to return and find my husband teaching our youngest son to use the small tiller.  They were having a great time of bonding!  My son thoroughly enjoyed tilling and continued to help till all 3 beds were done.  He was dancing and entertaining us as he tilled.  He is as full of life as they come!

Now that the garden was ready and we had prepped for more cold weather we were able to do other things around the homestead.  We cleaned up the inside of the barn and cut a huge dead limb out of a tree that was hanging from an ice storm a couple years ago.  We made small shelters in the chicken run since we have had hawks preying on our chickens.  I also added fishing line across the top of the run to see if that would keep the hawks out and the chickens in.  Only time will tell if this will help.  We also ran the sprinkler in the goat pen and chicken run since it has been so dry lately to help get the nitrogen (chicken/goat poop) into the soil.

The best part of this full day of work, was that we had fun together as a family.  I’ll be honest in that there was one kid that needed persuasion to join us outside but once he was out there he never went back inside.  The kids worked right alongside us enjoying the work as if it were play.  And when you are together as a family, that’s just what it feels like…play. 

My Take-Aways:

1. There is something very fulfilling about working on a homestead.  Fresh air and sunshine, tasks completed, and all working towards one goal as a family.  It’s more than a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.
2. Kids are capable of much more than we give them credit.  Teach them life skills and watch them grow!
3. Sometimes you need to persuade kids to get outside.  Once outside, they flourish with creativity!  Be a good role model and get out there with them!

Winter Daydreaming

Here we are in the dead of winter.  It’s cold and there’s not much going on around the homestead.  I spend a lot of time by the fire enjoying the warmth, mesmerized by the flames.  My desire to exercise has dwindled to an all-time low because I don’t want to get out in the cold.  I still go out daily to feed the chickens and goats and collect eggs, but I wait till the warmest part of the day to do so.  So what does one do with all this spare indoor time?  Planning…others might call it daydreaming, but I call it planning!  Oh the projects that I look forward to doing!

There are so many projects!  I want to start a compost bin so we will be able to add good nutrients to the gardens.  Many things get thrown away that should be recycled back into the ground.  We just need some food grade barrels and some lumber to build the bases.  I also want to build multiple rain barrels to make good use of the rain coming off the roof.  We could water the garden and animals if it was set up correctly.  Then there is the idea of having a wash station for the garden produce.  It could even be hooked up to a rain barrel!  This is something that could be made out of a changing table or other old piece of furniture.  The creative brain in me gets really excited about re-purposing things!

Pinterest Changing Table Wash Station

I’m also looking forward to this year’s garden.  In the past my husband has been the one who tills and plants (very well I might add) and I would water and pick produce (or squash bugs) as needed.  This year I am doing my research in all this down time by the fire.  I told my husband that I am taking over the garden and maybe even adding more raised beds.  By the end of the year I may give it back to him but I want to give it a try!  I’m thinking about using some old discarded tractor tires for more beds.  Then we won’t be limited on space! 

Gardens looking for love.

None of this could be done without my amazing husband.  He jumps on board with all (well, most) my ideas and together we make it happen.  Go Team!  Now you will have to stay tuned to see if any of these particular projects come to fruition.  It’s always easier to dream them up than to see them to completion.  What about you?  What kind of projects are you planning? 

The barn is my favorite project thus far.

My Take-Aways:

1. Daydreaming is fun.  It makes the long winter days go by a little faster.
2. Homestead projects are never-ending.  It’s part of the fun, really.  Something we can do as a family and take pride in the end product.
3. A fireplace is a requirement in my home.  I wouldn’t know what to do without it!  It’s what dreams are made of!

Boundaries

Living on a homestead with chickens and goats provides endless opportunities for adventure and a good laugh.  Whether it’s something the goats do or perhaps what predicament you find yourself in, there’s always entertainment to say the least.  Along with certain situations comes the opportunity to see the bigger picture.  For instance, something as simple as a fence can have much greater meaning when seen in light of our lives and the need for boundaries.

Boundaries don’t always get a good rap.  They are seen as limiting.  It may feel as though one is confined within certain boundaries but it doesn’t have to be that way.  In the case of our animals, boundaries are what help keep them safe.  If the chickens fly over the fence they have two very different options.  On one side they may find freedom and adventure scavenging for food with the goats, but they are also away from their flock and more vulnerable to being attacked by hawks.  If they fly over the other fence they find themselves in the jaws of a very playful and much loved dog that can’t help but let her instincts take over.  It never ends well in this case.

You see, these fences or boundaries are meant to protect the chickens.  They can have a full and happy life if they remain within the fence (except when the hawk decides to swoop down from above).  I believe God feels the same way with the boundaries He has set for us as Christians.  When we are truly seeking to live the life He has for us, we are blessed beyond measure.  That doesn’t mean Satan won’t still attack from other angles (just as the hawk does).  However, boundaries are a blessing.

We can also see God with us even if we find ourselves on the other side.  Maybe something lured you over or it may have been a reaction of fear.  Our dog sometimes scares the chickens with a sneak attack and pounces so quickly that they fly over in an attempt to get away.  Then they are stuck in the goat pen.  (They really aren’t too smart because they can never figure out how to fly back over.)  This is when the adventure comes in and I get to try to catch them.  And just like the chicken, we sometimes run from the very one that is trying to rescue us.  Run fast I might add.  Then when we get back where God intended us to be, we can again thrive on the things that feed us.  The chickens have access to their food and water just as we have access to God’s word and prayer.  

My Take-Aways:

1. God has a plan for you.  Don’t run from it.  Embrace the life He wants to so freely give to you.
2. Sometimes it takes teamwork.  Just as it took the help of my kids (and the goats) to coral the rooster so I could catch it and return it to its yard, God uses the people in our lives to guide and direct us.  Find a mentor…someone you look up to or who has been through similar circumstances…to help you through the challenging times.
3. If you have a friend or family member who is living outside certain boundaries, don’t be afraid to step out and boldly try to “catch” them and help them back.  You may appear a little crazy in the moment (like I felt chasing a rooster with a pool net) but the end result is worth it!