Hi Friends!
Nothing in particular to post about today, so I thought I’d catch you all up on what we’ve been up to lately.
First and foremost, we are farm shopping! It’s time for us to move onto bigger and better, so we’ll be listing our current house in the very near future. I’m really excited about this, but it will be bittersweet. The house we own and currently live in, has been in my family since it was built in 1952. 3 generations have now been raised in this house. I have so many memories here, I will be sad to see it go, but the reality is, it is just a house and the memories will live on in me forever. Brings me to tears just typing this out to you, but in order for me to live out my dreams, this is what we have to do. Holding back because of sentimental reasons will only result in regrets later in life. I already have enough of those, I don’t want anymore! I also don’t want to look back and say I never got to do what I always wanted to do with my life. Pursuing your dreams, is where you’ll find happiness.
Homesteading
When we’re not shopping for a new farm, I am focusing on learning new homesteading skills in addition to the canning skills I learned back in the fall. In the last month or so, we have not bought bread from the store, I have been making it using organic ingredients! Now that a very close friend of mine has moved to an Amish community, I am able to get supplies from really great sources and at really good prices! I have also taken to making our own butter! I have been buying organic cream from the store, but with any luck, I will soon be getting it by the gallon from the Amish for a fraction of the cost of buying it in stores! I’m so excited for this! Maybe, just maybe, once we move, I’ll get a milk cow! I have been making our own laundry soap, body wash, dishwasher detergent and body lotion bars too! We have also made the move to stop using so much paper towel. This has been one of the most challenging for me, because I love the thought of throwing away the germs and not putting them in my washing machine! We also just bought a quarter beef from a USDA certified organic Amish farm! Not only will my family be eating healthier, but I will be rendering the fat/suet from that to make my own oil! I am also going to be getting supplies this weekend to attempt making my own cheese! I am AMAZED at the amount of money we have already saved!
The Norwegian Buhunds
Our newest dog “Storm” continues to do well with us. She and Cherokee are best buddies now and have so much fun playing “wolf wars.” Cherokee is due to go in heat this spring and we plan on breeding her for the first time! This will be very exciting! If you’re interested in a puppy, get your reservations in now!
The Alpacas
Not really too much to report with them. We have high hopes that “Buffy” is expecting again, but she has not been ultrasounded yet so we’ll keep you posted on that!
The Poultry
It’s been a cold winter this year, a far cry from the extremely mild winter we had last year. with that said, I have had NO eggs from the Serama Bantams, I hope that changes when the weather warms up. The rest of the ladies have been doing well with laying except our Easter Egger, who is around 9 months old and still has never laid an egg! She’s definitely a hen so I’m not sure why this is happening. My hope is she will start laying this spring.
That about sums it up folks. Spring is right around the corner and gardening plans are under way, differently this year due to moving but still with produce nonetheless. I hope you’ve enjoyed catching up with us!