Cleaning Out the Games

I'm a  bit of a board game junkie.  I LOVE to play games with my family and friends. So do my kids.  And they often ask to play games together during free time.  I love it!  And I love all the new games we got for Christmas.  But...there wasn't room for the new ones with the sad state that our game collection was in. So something had to be done!

Side note:

Old houses have such character.  This space...I'm not exactly sure what the original purpose was.  It's alongside the top of our stairs, but isn't really wide enough to be entirely useful living space. My Dad remembers jumping off it onto the steps when he was a kid. And falling a lot, through the sheet rock on the stairs.  Since Bryan and I wanted to avoid that memory building opportunity for our own children, we decided to turn it a game storage area with some portable, build-able shelving. 

 There are other spaces in the house where I just wish I could see what the original builder had in mind...

End side note!

Since we aren't doing school right now, it's the perfect time of year for more in-depth organization and cleaning.  However, since I am very pregnant, I'm trying to make sure I don't over do it.  I've been picking one or two projects a day to work on, and then make sure and spend time with my feet up relaxing and resting with the family.  The games were the goal for the day!

Ellie and Sydney were visiting with my Mom and helping her undecorate her Christmas tree. The rest of us jumped to work. Jayme was assigned keeping track of Owen and Simon so they couldn't track pieces all over the house.

Jeffrey helped to pull everything off the shelves.

I had forgotten how many games we had. Jeffrey and I stacked everything up in the girls' room or in the hallway area outside.

We started by putting all loose pieces in a tub.  That way when we found a game with a missing piece, we'd have one spot to look.  We went through the games and made sure there were enough pieces that it was still playable (some are still missing a piece or two, but nothing that affects game play greatly).  Game boxes that were broken had their contents dumped into Ziploc bags to avoid losing more.  Games that were unplayable due to missing pieces were either kept in one pile to be used for play by our younger kids (who just want to play with the pieces and don't really care if they play "correctly") or thrown away, depending on their state.

As part of the process, we straightened up the money and cards in games.  Rubber bands and small baggies were big helpers for this task!  Now when we decide to play a game, we can jump right into play instead of having to organize everything first and then play.  I'm excited about that part!

We put puzzles in bags, and now just have a small pile of pieces leftover that I'm not sure where they go.  That's Jayme's project over the next few days--put together puzzles and toss the ones missing pieces and add the correct pieces to the right puzzles.  We also have a few cards left to be organized.  We have three sets of Skip Bo, but I know that the sets as they are aren't complete right now. So cards and puzzles need a bit of work, but everything else got finished up.

It looks so much nicer, and all of our new games have a home. The card games (Monopoly Deal, Skip Bo, Life Adventures, and so many more) are now stored in plastic bags in the baskets.  No more digging for them. The white basket in the corner is for any pieces we find as we clean out other rooms in the house.  I'm sure they're there somewhere...

Another plus?  Since we've really been decluttering lately, it felt good to fill another bag.

And now our games are ready to play.  I'm feeling a game night coming on!

Do you have any tricks for keeping them organized?

Sweet Cherries!

We have a single pie cherry tree in our backyard.  Every few years we get a decent crop.  But pie cherries aren't very tasty to sit and devour.  They kind of need some sugar.  And a pie crust.  Yum! 

So when a neighbor called my parents and asked if we all wanted to come up and pick some of their abundant sweet cherries, we were excited!  We planned on doing it Friday, but with Jeffrey ending up needing stitches, we didn't make it up until Saturday. 

It was worth the wait!

Sydney approved cherries!

Bryan was able to come picking too.  He picked a bunch! And he doesn't even like cherries.  Thanks honey!

It was such an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.  And now we have some sweet cherries in the freezer.

And my kids--who normally just get one colon cleansing a year when the plums get ripe...well, they got that process started early this year! :)

Do you enjoy cherries?

Five Things That Simplify Life

I've been actively decluttering the house again.  Seems like we always have too much stuff.  I'm learning that more stuff equals more cleaning.  More stuff equals more stress.  More stress is just bad.  So some of the stuff has to go.

But, as I'm analyzing objects in our house to decide if they are worth keeping, I've also found some things that really are useful. Objects that I never really thought about before now.  And I started pondering the usefulness of these things and how they simplify life around here.

 Yes.  Random thoughts like that truly do just pop into my head.  What can I say...But enough about my randomness and back to five random objects from my house.

These items may not seem like much, but they do help simplify my life.  With a busy family, a growing farm and life in general, simple is good!

A word of warning.  These things may not simplify your life.  Thus, don't go out and buy one of each thinking that these five items will solve all your problems.  They certainly haven't solved all of mine.  And they might not even be useful in a different season of life. But they are useful to me right now. How's that for a rather random disclaimer?  :)

 With that rather wordy (and apparently random) introduction out of the way, let's get to the heart of the matter.

Five Things That Simplify My Life

1. Our toilet seat

Okay.  I know what you're thinking.  How in the world can a toilet seat simplify life?  Just hear me out.  I was skeptical too.  In fact, we recieved this as a gift from Bryan's older brother for Christmas several years ago.  And it sat in the box for a long time.  I wasn't really seeing the use for it back then. 

 But now that we've been using it through two potty training kids (with a couple more to go...), I'm sold.

 This toilet seat is different.  See that fancy insert that my hand is holding? That snaps down and provides a training seat for the kids.  That way they can't fall into the toilet.  (Important stuff!)  You know what is so awesome about this seat?  It allowed us to get rid of the small potty chair we used to have.  Those are horrible to clean and take up space that my small bathroom just doesn't have. 

Another bonus?  Because my kids are learning on a normal sized potty (except for the smaller hole), they aren't scared of sitting on potties in stores or at other houses.  Yeah!   

2.  Our Apple TV

We now have converted our DVD collection to iTunes and have placed all the DVDs in the basement.  Do you know how often Owen and Sydeny or Simon would empty out our DVD cupboard before?  And then Owen would rip and eat the inserts.  And we'd have a crazy big mess in just a couple of minutes.  Not to mention the scratches.  Now?  Just a simple little box sitting on top of our DVD player. No messes.  That's pretty awesome!

 3.  The crockpot. 

Right now it has beef broth simmering away.  It's also useful for making casseroles, soups, mashed potatoes, taco filling, and about a million other tasty things.  And...it doesn't heat the house up to use.  That's great news for summer in this house with no AC!


That, my friends, is a very useful object!  One that I won't be parting with anytime soon.  Though I might add another to my collection.  Then I could make mashed potatoes in one and cook a chicken in the other.  Hmmm...I might be onto something there!

 4.  Our Dog Crate

Yup.  We crate trained Cinders.  He sleeps here.  He hangs out here.  He can't destroy the house from here.  All good, stress reducing things for puppy owners!  It also makes a nice place to store boxes of diapers on top. 

Just be sure a loose diaper doesn't end up so it can be pulled into the crate.  Otherwise you might come home to a mess.  But at least that mess is contained inside a crate!  (Not that I'm speaking from torn up diaper experience or anything... :) )

And last, but certainly not least.

5.  Our shoe rack.

You have no idea how much of a hassle shoes have been.  Ideally, we'd all keep our shoes in our bedroom and there wouldn't ever be a shoe mess in the living area.  Except...when you have to run outside to do anything.  Going upstairs and finding the shoes you want just isn't really feasible. And I'm really not good at then putting those shoes back away as soon as I come back in. 

When we had a smaller family and had first moved in here, we just left our shoes on the hearth around the stove.  It worked really well.  Until our family grew.  And so did our shoe collection. We had shoes all the way around the stove.  Which worked in the summer.  But trying to start a fire with shoes all the way around just wasn't very practical.

So we got a tub.  One of those large Rubbermaid tubs.  And we shoved all our shoes in it.  Ever try digging through a tub of shoes while you're in a hurry to leave, trying to find the mate?  That's not fun.  So the tub didn't last very long. 

I can't remember all the other things we tried.  I know we lined them up on the wall under our coat rack at one time. But the kids really enjoyed scattering them a little too much.  And when we got our pup, the crate needed to go there.  What to do?  What to do? 

Then I saw this at Wal-Mart.  And it was like a light-bulb going off!  It's worked beautifully for about a year now.  Boots on top.  Shoes in the slots.  If the shoe rack is full--take some of your shoes and put them upstairs.  Your entire collection does NOT need to be in the living room.  Brilliant! 

See--shoes matched up and put away.  No frantic searching.  No stepping over shoes.  No more huge mess.  Just shoes--simplified!

From the bathroom to the kitchen and everywhere in between, there are definitely random objects in life that can make things simpler.  What things do you rely on to ease the stress in your life? 

Grouse Creek Growth Update: Gardens, Trees and More!

Well, the garden is mainly in. Now we just have to water, weed and see if my thumb is turning green yet!

The kids helped me finish fencing it, and Bryan rehung the gate. Now the chickens and deer can't help themselves to our produce. 

Thanks to my mom, many of our veggies went in as started plants instead of seeds. It's nice to know for sure that those aren't weeds. Last time I tried a garden, I think I plucked out several dozen good plants in my over zealous weeding. I think I've learned a thing or two since then...hopefully! 

Since this is the location of our previous chicken coop, the soil should be pretty good. It's loaded with creepy crawlies which I know is a good sign. We will throw some cow manure/straw into it at the end of the season and it should be even better next year. 

You can see the nice dark soil in this picture. It's pretty good! 

In addition to the garden, we have containers of lettuce, cherry tomatoes and green onion sitting on our porch. Those require a bit of shooing the birds away, but it's so nice to have salad fixings close. 

Other things are growing here at the farm as well. The cherry tree is looking amazing this year. Last year a huge wind storm blew most of the blossoms off and it never really recovered. I'm thankful to see the green cherries and realize I will be able to put some pie filling up for winter! 

The plum trees are also loaded. I hope to dry more plums this year. Those were a delicious treat in February this year, andI want  to have more. The trick is in not eating them all right away...they taste so good!

Our service berries are just about ripe. Looking forward to more jam! 

You know what I love about the fruit trees? I don't have to do a thing to them and they keep producing each year. No weeding. no watering (well the sprinkler might occasionally hit them, but its not methodical...) So much easier than a garden! 

That's a great thing about eating weeds too. The dandelions, plantain and cattails keep coming back and are prolific! Now I just need to get better at using all of the great food The Lord has provided. We did try sautéed cattails the other day. I will be making them again. 

Our barley hay is looking decent. The rain last week was a definite blessing. I'm so thankful that we have hand lines though. Being able to irrigate has made a big difference in crop quality. 

Lets see. A growing update wouldn't be complete without our growing animals. The chickens have three weeks left to get fat. 

They are getting there! We like to see at least five pounds after butchering, and I think we are on track. 

The pigs are also packing on the pounds thanks in part to the rich milk they get each day. I thought a cougar was going to take off with them the other night, but I think Cinders scared it off with his barking. Or maybe it was Bryan with the gun...

One of the downsides to raising animals and living in the country are the predators. But praise the Lord--all three pigs are still around! 

So we should have plenty of food to put away for winter for both us and the cows. Even if my garden doesn't grow like I hope it will.  That's a pretty good situation to be in!  We are definitely blessed! 

How is your garden growing this year? 

Exploring Our Area

I'm married to a man who loves to explore. To set off on a drive with some snacks and a camera and see what we can find.  It's a blessing to be able to be by his side and explore as a family. The experience really is more important than the destination.

We are blessed to have the beautiful Columbia River rolling through our county. This past Saturday, we did something new. We rode on the ferry across the water. 

The Columbian Princess is the ferry we took. 

Everyone was excited about the opportunity, and we were thrilled by the price: free! 

Here's what the kids looked like, as we waited for the ferry to pull out. Owen was fascinated by the water!

After we drove off the ferry, we headed off on an adventure. Along the way, we stopped at some historical sites. Bryan got a great picture of all the kids. They are sitting on a bench created from a piece of the dam that used to be at this site. 

We were able to walk into the bathhouse,  the building you can barely see behind them. It was so neat to see how they had constructed this structure with a broad axe and logs. 

As we left this place behind, we began our long journey home. We wound through beautiful mountins and worked our way home from Kettle Falls and Colville--a direction we hardly ever travel. 

It's amazing how many adventures are hiding just a few hours from home. We have many historical landmarks, scenic loops and more.

I'd encourage you to explore your area and see what you can see. I would love to hear about your explorations! 

Wildfire Prep

Looking out past the milk barn and seeing smoke billowing on the mountain is concerning.  Watching five Department of Natural Resource trucks and a water tender from the local fire district speeding by the road adds to the concern.

You can see the smoke coming up on the mountain between the silo and barn.

This is the scene that unfolded right before quiet time on Wednesday.  It provided a great teaching moment on wildfires.  And on being prepared.

Thankfully, after calling my husband and having him get information from his mom who works at DNR, we decided it wasn't an immediate threat to us.  The fire was on adjacent land, but it was being contained and held by logging roads, which separated our land.

But, a little more wind, a little more flame, and the situation could have been different.  When you live in the woods, you know that wildfires are a distinct possibility.  And you develop a plan.  And build a green zone around your house.

Here are some of the items on our plan, just in case we ever have to evacuate.

1. Kids--obviously the biggest concern.  Everything else is replaceable.
2. Dog--put his crate in the back of the car.  He won't like it, but he'd be safe.
3. Our emergency bag.  Has clothes and pajamas for everyone, and a couple days worth of meds for Owen.  I need to update this bag for the current season, and get it ready to go. We did a quick pack on Wednesday just in case, but it needs some more thought.  I also need to get some snacks.  Hungry kids are grumpy kids!
4. Desktop tower and laptops.  Lots of important data.  And pictures.  Our really important actual documents are protected in a fire safe.  But our digital files aren't as fire protected. Living out here, we don't have unlimited internet, so backing everything up online isn't yet a viable option for us. 
5. Free the pigs and open the pasture gate for the cows.  Trust them to use their instincts and find safety.  Since our chickens are still free ranging right now, they'd be safe on their own.  If they were enclosed, they'd be added to our free list.

Obviously, letting the animals go is something we don't just want to do nilly-willy.  Getting them back would be hard if it turned out to be a false alarm.  But, I'd rather free them than have htem burn.

Thankfully in all the years we've lived here (and when I lived across the road as a child), we've never had to evacuate for a fire.  That means I've never had to make that decision.

We trust the Lord to protect us, and know that if the time comes that it happens, He will guide us and that everything that happens is in His perfect plan.  Thus, we don't fret too much about fire.  We have a plan, get prepared, and then don't worry.

During Wednesday's fire, I was blessed to be able to ride up and check it out with my mom and some of the kids.  I was able to snap this picture through the front windshield.  You can see that we have a great crew of people (many of them volunteers!) battling the blaze.  I'm very thankful for these men and women!

We learned later that a lightning storm Tuesday night started the fire.  It burned 5-6 acres of land.

What else should we do for wildfire preparation? 

A List of Homesteading Skills

A while back while blog hopping, I came across a great post at this blog. She had found a list of 121 homesteading skills to be mastered put out by The Prairie Homestead.  Then, she went through and crossed out all of the skills that she had. 

I loved the idea, and wanted to snag it.  I thought of some different ideas to add to the list too, so my list is now longer.

Since looking at a list of crossed off items can be hard to read, I instead broke it into a couple of categories. With the attitude of working as a team here at the farm, I've chosen the following categories:

Things either Bryan or I (or both!) can do well.

Things either or both of us are working on but need more practice with. 

Things we want to try.   

Things we aren't interested in, or are just not ready for. 

Ready?  Me too! Here we go: 

Things we can do well

1. Milk a cow, goat or sheep.  (Cows). 

Maggie, one of my milk cows.

2. Compost both kitchen scraps and animal manure.  (I feed kitchen scraps to chickens and compost that.  Also use cow manure as field dressings.)
3. Learn how to cook a whole chicken. 
4. Learn first aid and CPR.  (I have taken a couple of classes....and get to practice the first aid part quite a bit with six kids!)
5. Know how to dehydrate foods to preserve for later use. 

Plums drying...

6. Learn how to safely cut down a tree.  (Just for the record...my husband is awesome at this!  Me?  Never tried and have no desire to. I'll just throw the cut up stuff in the truck, thank you very much!)
7.  Make good sausage gravy from scratch.  (Yum!)
8. Know how to drive a manual transmission and/or tractor.  (Way more fun than an automatic!) 
9.  Learn basic mechanic skills so you can fix your tractors and vehicles. (We know basics--always more to learn!)
10. Change a tire and change oil.  (I CAN do it, but am very thankful that Bryan DOES it!)
11.   Know how to properly handle, shoot, and clean a gun. (This is on my need practice list, but Bryan has it mastered!)
12. Learn the laws and regulations regarding hunting wild game in your area through a Hunter’s Safety course. (I have yet to take the class, but know many of the laws and regs, Bryan took the class.)
13. Learn how to kill and pluck a chicken (Bryan does the killing!)
14.  Learn how to fish.
15. Learn how to clean, fillet, and cook fish.
16. Learn how to tell if your chickens are molting.
17. Know how to tell if you can doctor an animal at home, or if it needs to be taken to the vet.
18. Dry laundry using a drying rack or clothesline.
19. Make your own laundry detergent. (I can, but I generally don't at this stage in life.)
20. Know how to build a fire.
21. Cook over an open fire or on a wood cookstove. (When the power goes out, we still have to eat!)
22. Learn how to make yogurt. (We go through a couple gallons of it in a week!)
23. Make sourdough bread and maintain your own starter. (Finally have this one down!)
24. Make basic yeast dough which can be turned into loaves, rolls, buns, pretzels, etc.
25.  Learn how to identify and manage a broody hen. 
26. Make your own jellies and jams.
27. Heat your home with wood or other sustainable sources.
28. Learn how to build and fix fence.
29. Use a water bath canner to preserve foods.
30. Make your own sauerkraut.

I turned this hunk of cabbage into sauerkraut.

31. Forage for wild edibles in your area.
 32. Grind your own wheat for baking. (We get bonus points for growing the wheat first!)

Ellie and the wheat grinder...

33. Repurpose everyday items to save them from the landfill.
34. Learn how to prepare for a wildfire. 
35. Understand the basics of animal breeding.

Rusty Redbull?  Yup--he's essential to our cow breeding plan!

36. Learn how to harvest, split, and stack firewood. (Though my stacking skills need improvement!)
37. Make your own skincare items.
38. Make your own cleaning supplies. (My favorite is a recipe I found at Raising Arrows--Grape Seed Extract, Water and Essential Oils...)
39. Learn how to make butter. (My Aunt gave me my Grandmother's old butter making bowl and paddle...what a blessing to be the third generation using it!!!)
 40. Understand how to identify the weeds in your yard/pastures and figure out which ones are edible.  (Plantain...dandelion...nettle....clover...they are all in our yard!  The pasture I need more work on, along with the woods!) 
41. Learn how to back up a trailer. (Bryan is great at this!)
42. Learn how to make bone broth.
43. Know how to use non-electric lighting.
44. Put food scraps like eggshells, coffee grounds, apple peels, and whey to good use.
45. Make simple meals from scratch. 
46. Know how to protect your livestock from predators.
47. Know how to humanely euthanize an animal.  (Thankfully Bryan does this too!)

 

Things we need to practice/are in process of learning

1. Learn how to use essential oils properly and safely.
 2. Make the perfect pie crust.  (Not yet.  I've found many pie crusts that are ok. And I do make pies.  But I haven't yet found the perfect recipe.  I've heard it takes lard.  So when we butcher the pigs this fall, I'll give it a whirl)

3. Grow a vegetable garden in your climate. (Um...no.  My thumb is not green.  Will be trying again on a small scale again this year. Wish me luck! )
4. Learn how to humanely kill, gut, and clean an animal. (Only done a chicken...want to learn more!)
5. Know how to butcher an animal and the proper cuts of meat. (Have butchered out a ram)
6. Make cheese– simple soft cheeses and hard cheeses too. (Only the soft kinds...)
7. Learn how to cut, bale, and stack hay.
8. Master the art of intensive grazing so you can better manage your pastures (just learning this one!).
9. Make your own soap.
10. Mend damaged clothes so they don’t have to be thrown away.
11.  Master basic carpentry skills so you can repair outbuildings or even build basic furniture pieces.
12. Learn how to use lacto-fermentation to preserve foods. (Only done carrots and cabbage this way...)
13. Learn how to render lard or tallow.
14. Know how to halter-break and train an animal. 
15. Learn how to repair a roof. 
16. Know how to properly prune and graft a fruit tree (need to learn about grafting!)
17. Sew clothing and fabric items from scratch. (I'm trying!)
18. Knit, quilt,  or crochet (Learning crocheting...)
19. Learn how to identify the difference between harmless and venomous snakes in your area (Can't say I WANT to know this, but I should...and I'm learning.)
20. Learn how to sharpen a knife or ax.
21. Learn how to prepare for a blizzard. 
22.  Learn how to work together with your neighbors to accomplish more and foster a sense of community.
23. Store food in a root cellar or in a cool basement. 
24. Learn how to chop ice. 
25. Put together a 72-hour kit for emergencies. 
26. Learn how to cook in a cast iron skillet without a sticky mess.
27. Make your own sausage (Have done just ground, want to learn links!)
28. Live within your means and get out of debt (We started out at over $100,000 in debt and are down now to one student loan at $35,000--huge progress in the last five years!!!).
29. Know basic plumbing skills (like unclogging a toilet!)
30. Make your own paper. 
31. Learn how to tie a variety of basic knots.
32. Know how to clean, dress, stitch/staple a wound in the event of an emergency (Unfortunately, Owen gives us lots of practice...).
33. Learn how to clear pasture and brush.

Things we want to learn/try

1. Learn how to hunt wild game–both large and small.
2. Use a smoker to smoke cheeses, meat, bacon, hams, etc.
3. Know how to assist an animal with a difficult birth. 
 4. Grow a windowsill herb garden.
5. Keep bees and harvest honey.
6. Incubate fertilized eggs and hatch your own chicks.
7. Give an animal an injection (the muscle, in the vein, or under the skin). Thankfully never had to! But should learn so I'm prepared. 
8. Learn basic metal working skills and welding. They teach this at Between the Rivers (which takes place on our property annually.)  It looks neat!

9. Make your own candles.
10. Learn how to darn a sock.
11. Learn the art of no-till gardening.
12. Learn how to candle eggs so you can tell if they are fertilized. (My mom can do this, but I haven't asked her teach me yet...)
13. Cook outside with a dutch oven. (This would be fun!)
14. Learn how to tan a hide (another skill being taught this year at Between the Rivers)
15. Learn how to use a pressure canner and/or cooker.
16. Learn how to identify the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms. 
17. Learn how to start seeds indoors.
18. Make your own vinegar (Going to try apple cider vinegar this year!). 
19. Learn how to make herbal extracts, infusions, poultices, and tinctures. 
20. Tap trees for maple syrup. (Due to location, it'd have to be birch trees for birch syrup...)
21. Know how to purify water (I know how to boil it!). 
22.  Make your own bacon and cured hams.
23. Learn how to make your own chicken feed.
24. Make your own ammunition, or reload ammunition.
25. Learn how to install/use a composting toilet
26. Use alternative energy sources like solar or wind to power your homestead.
27. Implement natural pest control measures.
28. Learn how to make and set traps.
29. Understand how to propagate plants through root cuttings.
30. Implement a forest management plan.
31. Learn to identify forest problems (root rot, beetles, etc.)
32. Learn to brew kombucha 
33. Make water keifer 
34. Make milk keifer 

 

Things we aren't interested in or aren't ready for yet 

1. Assist with foaling, kidding, lambing, and/or calving.  (If they need help, my plan is to cull.  I don't want to make it a habit!)
2. Trim the feet of your goats and sheep.
3. Learn how to save seeds. (I'm not here yet! Want to have a successful garden for a few years before I try to worry about this...)
4. Build/use a greenhouse or cold frame to extend your growing season. (Same with #3, this will move to want to learn in a few years, but not yet!)
5. Learn how to make and apply whitewash.
6. Learn about aquaponics or fish farming (We have the creek for fishing....maybe someday?)
7. Shear a sheep and process the wool. (There's a reason we went with hair sheep when we had them...)
8. Learn how to spin wool.    
9. Learn how to use vermiculture (composting with worms) to create nutrient-rich food for your garden (I'll just leave the worms in the dirt, thank you very much!)
10. Make your own fishing lures or spears.
11. Learn how to weave.
12. Learn how to make natural dyes.
13. Master the art of home brewing (we don't drink).
14.  Learn how to make baskets. 

There you have it.  I have lots to learn!  If you know how to do the things on my "want to learn" list, feel free to pass some advice along!  

I know I forgot somethings.  Anyone have any additions for me?

Creekside Respite

After an unexpected hectic morning earlier this week, that included the words Easter Eggs, closet, maggots, cleaning and ew! (don't ask!), what's a mom to do?  In order to keep her sanity, this mom decided to feed the crew a quick lunch and make haste for the creek for some much needed playtime. Praise the Lord it was a really warm day!

We go to the creek every year, but this year I noticed something different.  For the first time ever, Owen was pulling himself out of the water when he got cold.  He'd go sit on the grass for a little bit and then dip his feet back in.  He's NEVER done that before.  I thought it was awesome!

Owen backing out of the water...

It's a new way that he is showing he's learning, and gaining independence.  He doesn't have to wait for me to realize that his feet are purple and he probably needs to warm up a few minutes.  Nope.  Just did it himself.  Way to go Owen!

The other kids had a blast.  Well, most of them. Simon was locked in his car seat on the grassy banks and even though he REALLY needed a nap, he decided it'd be more fun to watch the action and let out a squawk every now and then to let us know he didn't think he should be in his seat.  But he survived. And even smiled a time or two. 

Ellie, Owen and Jeffrey

Everyone else had fun.  Even the puppy.  He surprised me by loving the water.  He'd chase sticks in and run up the bank.  Poor thing was exhausted when we got home, and didn't even want to go on a walk later.

And Sydney?  Last year she was really too young to get in on the splashing.  She made up for it this year!  She realized she could jump off a small rock into the water and that she could walk along the shallow parts really easily.  There was no stopping her, and she definitely didn't want to go home.

Sydney enjoying the creek.

Me?  I got over the whole cleaning incident and really am thankful to live at Grouse Creek.  The time spent there was just what I needed to relax with the kids and get my attitude back in check before going home and jumping back into chores and routines. 

Sometimes we all just need a break!

The Chicks Are Here!

The fluffy bundles of baby chick goodness have arrived!  Due to some scheduling overload this summer, my parents decided to only go with 100 birds. The plan is to butcher the weekend after July 4th.

I know that they grow up to be really, really ugly.  And by then, I'll be ready to butcher them. But they sure are cute at this age!

Ellie and Jeffrey agree.

So did Sydney.  But she was a little to eager to squeeze the babies.  So she had to settle for just petting them carefully. 

Let the increased farm chores begin....it's chicken time!

Our Daily Egg Hunt

With free range chickens, daily egg hunts happen here at the farm. Unlike the plastic or colored variety Grandma hid for the little ones this past weekend, our egg hiders aren't obvious.

Nope. The hens select secluded places to create their nests and lay their eggs. And once we find them, they are most likely going to move to a new spot before laying again.

Just to keep us hunting you know.

When we find a nest, we float test all of the eggs. Sinking is good. Floating is bad. Wash up the good ones. Toss the bad.  Jeffrey has it figured out and loves hunting for nests and checking for floaters.

But every time we find one, I can't help but feel estatic for the completion of our new coop with an enclosed run. We have 18 hens. I get 5 eggs or so a day in the current coop. By my calculations, there are dozens and dozens of eggs all over the farm just waiting to be found.

Thankfully my husband has been hard at work on the new coop. It's getting closer to being done. Then I think I'll be amazed at how many eggs we have! And we won't even have to search for them. 

Our chickens will no longer be free range, but I think they'll enjoy their new coop. Bryan designed it and did a marvelous job! It has a removable panel to make cleaning easier, nice elevated built in nest boxes and storage for food. 

The kids get to help us prime and paint soon. They will love it! When it's all done, I will have to give a photo tour of it. 

Until then, we will continue to enjoy our daily egg hunts. I don't think the kids will complain! 

The Great DVD Purge

Kids are tough on DVDs.

Especially when they are super strong like Owen.  And can force open the movie cupboard and start trying to rip out the papers that tell about the DVD.

And in the process of getting the paper, he dumps the DVD out of the case.  And a DVD on the floor is super fun for Simon and Sydney. Thankfully those two aren't as stealthy about their fun.  And someone usually hears their giggles and gets the movie put away.  But, damage can happen quick.

Which means that we have a lot of scratched DVDs.  For some reason, I've been hanging onto them, hoping that one day they'll just magically play.  But I know they won't.  And my  repair attempts (polishing with banana, using Vaseline, just cleaning with window cleaner etc.) haven't worked on too many of them.

But now...Now I'm ready to let go.  It's time to get rid of DVDs. Except we decided we wanted even the good ones out of the living room...completely!

After doing some research, Bryan bought an Apple TV unit.  And we've been converting all of our DVDs to digital format using DVDFab.  Then we put them into our iTunes library, and can select them all to play on the TV. 

If they are too scratched to convert correctly, I am tossing them.  That's where the purging part comes in.  Getting rid of stuff is such a freeing feeling!  Makes me want to get rid of more stuff. 

We have the majority of our playable DVDs copied over.  Once they are on the network, we take the DVD and are storing it in the basement.  That way they won't continue to get destroyed.  Out of sight, out of mind.

As new DVDs come in, we'll convert them immediately and bring them downstairs.  No more scratches!

And we'll soon be getting the cupboard that held the DVDs out of the living room.  Which is good.  The top of it has been an easy place to put things, so it keeps being a clutter catcher.  So the living room will just look neater without that.  And it'll be even more Owen proof.  Which is good! 

Our current movie cupboard.  Note the flat surface on top that gathers stuff.

A bonus?  Owen is able to really easily pick movies on his iPad now.  Because in order to keep things neat on the Apple TV, we downloaded a picture of the movie case and assigned it to each movie.  So now on the iPad (and everything else connected), the movies show up as pictures of the movies.

See--his movie choices actually look like the cover of the movie.  Very nice!

Owen's favorites?  Wreck-It Ralph, Toy Story and Lady and the Tramp.  Never would have guessed that last one.  I don't think I ever selected it as a movie for him to watch before.  I guess it shouldn't surprise me--he loves dogs.  He's picked each of those for his bedtime movie several times now, so I know it's not just an accident.  He knows which ones he likes.  And works hard on scrolling through to find them.  

It's great when he is able to communicate just a bit, and we can get a glimpse into Owen.  I know the iPad holds great potential for opening up this door.  We just need to keep practicing in fun ways, so he gets better at finger isolation and selecting what he actually wants.

Now I just need a way to convert our VHS tapes to digital.  Any ideas? 

Rain in the Spring = Freezer Filling Day!

Spring is busy around the farm.  There are fences to repair and new fences to build.  There are pens to build, and pigs to purchase.  There are baby chickens to order, receive and take care of.  Don't forget about firewood.  That's essential!

With so much on the to do list, when it rains, it kind of puts a damper in the outdoor plans.  What's a gal to do?

Enjoy a day inside with the kids and get ahead in the kitchen.  Yesterday, we baked three batches of cookies, and froze two dozen of each kind. 

I've been stuck in a cookie rut lately and only making oatmeal and chocolate chip.  While we do really like those kinds, branching out is nice.  We tackled molasses, snickerdoodles and peanut butter.  And we used whole wheat flour in them all to make them a bit healthier.  

It's so nice to know that there are cookies waiting to be baked.  When life gets even busier, having the freezer stocked is helpful. 

Molasses cookies!

Jeffrey and Ellie rolling our snickerdoodles in a cinnamon sugar mixture and putting them in freezer bags. 

 Of course cookies weren't the only thing we did to stock our freezer.  Since the oven was going, I threw in several large potatoes.  When they were cooked, I grated them and put them on a freezer paper lined cookie sheet.  A quick trip to the freezer had them flash frozen.  Then we filled quart sized freezer bags.

Frozen hashbrowns ready to go! Great for breakfast casseroles, burritos and just plain ol' hashbrowns. 

Our hashbrowns getting frozen.

 We also made three loaves of oatmeal bread.  It's one of my favorite breads. I first learned about it in the Janette Oke books about Virginia.  Her best friend Jenny really likes oatmeal bread.  I used Google and found a really easy recipe on a survival forum of all places, and we've been enjoying it for a few years now. 

Mutti's Oatmeal Bread...delicious with jam!

By slicing one loaf up hot with butter and jam to accompany lunch, we were able to stick two loaves in the freezer. 

We also made a gallon each of yogurt and cottage cheese. Those won't go in the freezer though--just the fridge for eating the rest of the week.

Wow--it was a really productive day!  And when we were done, we had to clean the kitchen, so it looks really good now. 

And throughout all our work, we enjoyed the pitter-patter sound of the rain on the metal roof.  And the beautiful smell that comes here when it rains. Rain and a pine forest are a wonderful mix for the nose.

When it was time for quiet time in the afternoon, I noticed something wonderful.  The rain had stopped.  And so I went outside and built a new fence.  And got the cows moved to a new section of pasture. 

What a blessing--a productively fun kitchen day with the kids, and an accomplishment on the farming front.  Yeah!

It's raining again today.  But today is a play day instead of freezer filling day.  There's a time for work, and a time for play.

 We have big plans to play super hero and house.  We'll actually probably combine them.  And play super hero house.  Either way, it'll be fun! 

My Clothesline Personal Challenge

The element in our dryer broke a week ago.  Again.  We just switched it out two years ago.  So we ordered the part.  And are waiting until the 15th when it arrives to have a working dryer again.

We are blessed and have a dryer we can borrow right across the road (thanks Mom!).  And I took advantage of that this past weekend.

 Then Bryan and I started looking at the weather forecast. It's supposed to be in the 60s and 70s for the next several days.  No rain.

And I looked outside at the clothesline that never gets used (except for picnic forts!).

And I decided that I rely WAY too much on electricity to dry my clothes.  With all the laundry we do, it's no wonder our dryer is falling to pieces. 

I got to thinking.  With the beautiful sunshine that God is shining down on us, why am I lugging laundry across the road to dry in an electric dryer?

Since I was going shopping and could pick up clothespins, I decided to give myself a challenge.  To not use any dryer, at least until our part arrives.  But I'm hoping that once I get in the groove, I can continue throughout the summer.

Ahh. The sight of laundry drying in the sunshine.

I'm now a few days into the challenge.  Here's what I am enjoying:

*The smell of sunshine on our clothing.  WAY better than any fabric softener smell or anything.

*Clothes don't get wrinkly if I leave them too long, like they do in the dryer.

*Our socks are winding up easier to match.  Before, we'd have one in one load and put it away in our mismatched sock tub.  Then the next one would come out a few loads later and it too would go to the tub.  Without getting matched. Now I can see both socks on the line, and match them.

*Sorting laundry for putting away is simple.  Take all the girl clothes off.  Take all the boy clothes off.  Take all the parent clothes off.  Take all the bathroom towels.  Take all the kitchen towels.  Put each into a separate basket and put away.  Done. 

*No lint trap to clean.  You know that lint is made up of clothing?  Kind of makes you wonder....

*No electricity.  At 3-5 loads a day, that's huge!

But of course it's not all wonderful.  Here are some areas I'm struggling with:

*Owen pulling clothes off the line. Seriously.  He thinks they are dangling there just for him!

*Running out of clothespins, and my pins breaking.  Guess that's what I get for buying the Dollar Tree variety.  I've had seven clothespins break apart since Monday.  Bryan is going to stop and buy some different ones for me tonight, thankfully! 

*Actually hanging the stuff.  It's a challenge for me to figure out which way to hang things, and how to best utilize my space.  Especially if I have larger items like bedding. 

*Embarrassment about certain undergarments hanging.  We do live right on the county road.  Which gets way more traffic than it used to.  I'm working around this one by using the middle lines for those articles and putting larger things on the outside around them, but it's still a personal struggle for me. 

*The towels are rough.  

*It's different.  I'm kind of a creature of habit.  This is different.  It's much easier to simply shove clothes into the dryer and turn it on.  This forces me to do something else.  It doesn't actually take that much time, it's just trying to get into a new routine.

But, despite my struggles, I'm enjoying the challenge.  I think I'll continue it as long as the weather allows.   However, I think I will start fluffing the towels eventually. Unless I get used to rough ones by then.  Which I don't think I will!

Any tips for a clothesline newbie?

An En"Tire" Day

Saturday was a tire day.  We built a tire bike rack and got a good start on Ellie's birthday present.  It felt good to get some items off the "to-do" list. 

We also got a post in the ground for the pig pen.  Well, Bryan got the post in the ground.  I handed him the shovel and bar and post hole diggers.  But the other side of the area still had large ice crystals, so that project has been delayed another week. 

The Bike Rack

I had planned on digging a hole for each tire individuality.  Bryan looked at the picture of what I wanted, and decided that digging a big trench was the easiest solution. Good thing we have a lot of shovels--the kids were eager to help.

Digging the hole with Daddy's supervision and direction

Once the hole was dug, Bryan checked for levelness. (Another step I would have missed).  Then we needed to select tires.

A trip to the junk pile yielded enough tires of around the same size (15 in). 

We worked together to set the tires in place.  Then we had to put the dirt back.  It took some time to really pound it all together.

But it was worth the work!

Ellie's birthday present is also turning out nicely.  We were able to use scrap lumber for one of them, so we'll only need to buy a board for the other.  We decided to just make two, since two children can use them at the same time. 

It needs a coat of spray paint, but is otherwise complete.  I think she'll love it! 

Next on my tire list is another planter.  I'm hoping to get flowers in in a few weeks. I've never planted flowers before.  Any tips for a newbie?  Easy to grow flowers?  I know I want perennials so I don't have to plant them each year.