Summer is winding down, so my canning is as well. I got lots of pickles this year so I got to make 3 batches of dill pickles. I'm hoping the few little pickles I have develop into big cucumbers and I can make one more.

     

     Made two types of pepper jelly and canned some of my parent's jalapenos. My parents ended up with some purple bell peppers from their garden so I paired that with an orange and yellow bell pepper and their jalapenos to make a fall pepper jelly as well as a red and green pepper jelly. 

     Also did some apple picking on labor day weekend. Picked around 28 pounds of gala apples and turned it into 9 quarts of applesauce. The orchard has chickens, a turkey, goats, cows, and pigs. They have a bakery and a playground. It's always such a fun day.

 

     Going to (probably) swing one more apple picking trip. I'll only be picking around 7-8 pounds this time and make apple butter. Love fall!

     Well I guess that is all for now, until next time!

Having such a fun summer!

     Chickens started laying about 2 weeks ago. Found out 4 of my 8 won't lay until September, but 3 of the 4 buff orpingtons have begun. Fresh eggs are much richer than store bought.
     Been making an effort to get outside and do some sort of physical activity. While my youngest was in extended school year my oldest and I would do a 45 minute walk. Now that he's done for the summer, we've been swimming a lot. But the kids love the water and they sleep so much better at night.
     Made some cherry pie filling and up next are pickles!! Really hoping the corn starts growing as well as the pickling cucumbers have. I definitely would love to can some corn to have for this winter.
     We have started cleaning out the storage area we call the basement and hope to have it in order by October. Turning it into an entertainment area and a place to hang our during the summer so we can turn the AC to a higher temperature and it won't have to run as much. 
     We are going to replace our deck with a smaller one without steps and get a poured patio underneath. Plus turn the window underneath it into a door.
     We did have a small issue with our garage back in 2016 that we gave a temporary fix to. But it held far longer than we thought it would so we put off replacing it. Last month it gave up and we had to replace it. Quick and painless and we are happy with how it turned out. We will replace the other garage door eventually because it is very old, but we don't really use it right now.   
     My husband has officially finished his master's degree and is now just working a M-F schedule. He is so much happier, as we all are. He worked so hard and we are all very proud of him.
     Things keep moving along and we are having one heck of a fun summer! Hoping to possibly squeeze in a float trip at some point. Excited for fall and hockey to start back up though. I'm more excited than, I think, I have ever been for an upcoming season since I've been a Blues fan.
    Well I think that's all for now, going to go back to resting. Not feeling so well this week.

   

Trying to make a difference, however small...

     Back in December I made a commitment to reduce my waste as much as possible. I bought some recycling bins and I started buying my daily care products from Lush. I LOVE my shampoo bar, naked shower gel, and my face bar. The conditioner bar didn't do quite enough for my fine, thin, and damaged hair. I'm moving it to a shave bar and bought two new "traditional" conditioners to try.

     Recycling has been going well. We used to create (on average) a bag of trash a day. We now go 2-3 days before needing a new bag now. I take soda cans/tabs to my parents as our church recycles them and gives tabs to Ronald McDonald House. Their city does recycling pickup for free so we just throw the rest of ours in with theirs. Anything that doesn't go to a landfill is a win in my book.

     Chickens are getting big and I hope it is warm enough to have them outside in a couple of weeks. They really need the extra space, I just think it is still a bit too cold for them outside full time. 

     Between the trees, grasses, and crops we are planting there should be a lot for pollinators to have a grand old time with. I can't wait to have my own hive/s next year. The more food I can supply from my own back yard the better. 

     Well I guess that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have those plants in the ground and pictures taken soon so that I can post them. 

So many changes

     We bought our house almost 10 years ago. There was some work that needed done, but we put it off because it wasn't structural and we had other priorities. But now we are finally in a place where we can take care of it. We just had some of the work done this week and I love it. We are also using this same company, Remodeltech, to do our windows and deck. Those are the two other big projects we need done. Hopefully we can save up and do the windows this fall and the deck next summer.

     Once the windows and deck are done we are hoping to have the backyard terraced. Its rather hilly and makes mowing difficult. Tracing would alleviate that as well as give some flat area for a playset, and maybe a trampoline, for the kiddos. It would be great for them to have a place to play anytime the weather is nice.  

     In addition to the work house we also ordered some fruit and pecan trees as well as some ornamental grasses. Already have 3 of the trees and they are in the ground. As far as crops I ordered corn. Strawberries, polar berries, sunflowers, and grapes. Going to add that to the cucumbers, green beans, and soy beans from last year. Also may have a huckleberry bush and pickling cucumber plants headed my way as well. Between the chickens and all the trees and crops, I will hopefully be able to provide a lot of my food choices from my own backyard in a few years time. 

     Well I guess that's all for now! Once all of the trees and grasses are in, I'll post some more before and afters!

     

Chickens are getting HUGE!

     This is Heihei. She is easily the biggest of all 8 of the chicks. She might think she's a woodpecker though 😉! All of them are for the most part super mild mannered and sweet. When I have to reach my hand in to the brooder they don't attack me. They'll probably have to leave the brooder soon though, they'll be 4 weeks old next week.
     It turns out one of the chicks will have white feathers so she is Camila. One of the other Easter eggers have feathers that are white, grey, and brown so she is Ibizy, short for Isabella. She also happens to be the smallest right now. I've come up with one of my extra names, Luna, just not sure for which chick yet.

     So far I've had a lot of fun with these chickies and they are doing well. I can't wait until it's warmer so they can get outside on the grass. Of course I have to build their coop and enclosure first, so I should probably do that soon!

     Because I ended up with 2 extra chicks I upgraded their coop. I'm saving the original for separating any chickens that could potentially get sick or if the weather is forecasted to be severe. They will be ok to be a little cramped for just a teeny bit. Better than anything else that could happen!

     Well I guess that's all for now! I'll be busy getting ready to move the chicks outside and gettinf some home repairs done here in the next little bit!

The chickies are here!!

     I went Tuesday to pick up my little fluffballs, and I just absolutely love them! I ordered 3 Buff Orpintons and 3 Easter eggers, but they gave me one extra of each breed as a "just in case" so I have 8 little chickies!!

     They seem to be doing good so far  I've only named one. She's the most outgoing and loudest cheeper, so I named her Heihei. In the picture above she is the darkest one. I had my names picked out before hand and will decide who is who as they show their personality. Just have to come up with 2 extra names because I'm really hoping all 8 make it until they're older.

     Both of my kiddos love the chicks but my youngest wants to be around them all day. He's constantly trying to take us to them to play. It's all chickies this and chickies that. I'm really glad I made this choice because there are very few things he shows interest in in an active way. 

     I do need to look for a new bigger coop though. I bought one that would give 6 chickens good space but it just isn't big enough for 8. I think I've found a good one and it's super cute. It is red and looks like a barn!

     Well I guess that's all for now, I'll keep posting as the chickies grow and start laying eggs!

It's official!

     February 6th. That is the day I'm picking up my 6 chicks! I've started gathering everything I'll need and even though they won't need it for weeks, I am putting the coop together the next warmer day. I am getting really excited and I already have names picked out. I have 3 Easter Eggers and 3 Buff Orpingtons! I can't wait to post some pictures of the new additions.
     Not this spring but next spring I'll start my beekeeping adventure. I have my supplies all picked out and where I'll be getting the bees from. I figure I will have my chickies well established by then and it will give me more time to learn about what I need to do to keep them healthy.
     In addition to doing what I can to help the bee population I have switched to bathroom products that don't have packaging. I'm using Lush's Honey I Washed my Hair naked shampoo bar and Big naked Conditioner bar. Also using their naked shower gel. I've ordered the toothy tabs, the mouthwash tabs, and the charcoal face bar. All packaging that is created I will recycle in my new recycling bins.

     I am making as many changes as I possibly can to help the environment. We already create so much less trash since I started really paying attention to what we consume in this house. 

     My husband got a government job and he has his last week at his current job next week. It is bittersweet, but much needed. No more 12 hour days, no more holidays, no more weekends, no more getting up at 5 AM. Plus with most of our debt gone and the extra money we are finally going to be able to get some work done on this house. This is a huge blessing for our whole family and came at the perfect time. He'll be finishing up his Master's Degree this summer and then life will be so much less hectic. I know that is going to reduce his stress level on a massive scale. 

     Well I guess that is about all the new I have for now. I'll post against once I have the chickies!