All Around the Home and Homestead #29

All Around the Home and Homestead

Good Monday Morning to you!

I hope you had a blessed week and I look forward to reading this week’s link ups.


Blessings,

Jennifer

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Captain Absolutely Comic Book ~ Review

As Christians, our worldview is shaped by the absolute truth found in the Bible. God gave us detailed instructions: Love your neighbor. Be honest. Worship no one and nothing but Him. And through it all, keep your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)”, from the introduction to Captain Absolutely.

Captain Absolutely the cartoon novel from Focus On The Family is jam-packed with action, Bible truths and fun. We have recently had the opportunity to reveal Captain Absolutely. I can safely say that it was a hit at our house! When it arrived in the mail, Mr. B took it and disappeared. It was one of those “can’t put it down” books.

 Captain Absolutely Continue reading

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Homeschool Rescue by OPC ~ Review

Heather over at Only Passionate Curiosity seeks to make the life of homeschooling parents easier. To this end, she has created a new resource designed as a help for homeschool parents called Homeschool Rescue. Homeschool Rescue is designed to “breathe new life into your homeschool.”

Only Passionate Curiosity Homeschool Rescue
If you have been homeschooling very long at all it is very likely that you have struggled with burnout at some point. Maybe you are struggling with a chronic illness, a special needs child or dealing with a pregnancy or new baby. Or if you are new to homeschooling and are wondering if you are equipped to do this thing called homeschooling. Then you will be happy to hear that Homeschool Rescue was written with you in mind. Continue reading

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17 in 17 Homesteading Goals ~ Update

17in17

We are officially over 1/3 of the way through 2017. Can you believe that? I’m happy to say, we have made some progress on our list of 17 goals. I am hopeful that over the upcoming weeks we will be able to check some more things off the list. But this is where we are currently:

  1. Get our feet “wet” with aquaponics
  2.  Start all of our own bedding plants – We purchased a few bedding plants, so we will have to keep working toward this goal next year.
  3. Have a more productive garden than last year
  4. Can and/or freeze 500 quarts of produce
  5. Finish mulching the area between the raised beds with wood chips
  6. Finish the grape arbor
  7. Learn about other varieties of mushrooms and their cultivation and put that knowledge into practice.
  8. Develop more of a market for the products we raise on our farm
  9. Get our bunkhouse up and going
  10. Finish our new apple press and publish the plans for it
  11. Build or buy a chicken plucker
  12. Seed more of the farm down into perennial grasses and legumes
  13. Plant 4800 shrubs for wildlife (oh my!) – DONE!
  14. Get the livestock water lines and tanks installed for the new paddocks – DONE!
  15. Replace the old, leaky windows in our living room – DONE!
  16. Install more insulation to make our home more efficient
  17. Replace the back door which also leaks air

I have found that it is sometimes nice to look back at a list and see how much work has been done. I get so busy with the what has to be done today that sometimes I lose sight of the big picture.

Blessings,

Jennifer

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All Around the Home and Homestead Blog Party 28

All Around the Home and Homestead

I just love the weather we’ve been having! Around here life is never boring or dull but I love it all the same. For example,  yesterday morning when I went to milk the cow, I was met with pigs who were tearing up the calf feed sacks. The pigs that we are fattening out managed to make a hole in their fence and escape and one of the kids had left the gate open to where the calf feed is.

Then when a couple of the kids were putting the fishing poles in the van, so they could go fishing at the grandparents’ after church, they discovered that one of the tom cats had been accidentally shut in the van overnight. He decided to pee, poop and shed all over the van. UGH! Scott and the girls cleaned it as best they could but that smell! We were sporting the wind blown look when we got to church. 🙂

This morning I started filling a water tank and then went ahead choring. After I was back at the house, our renter/neighbor texted and asked if we had a water leak because she had very little water pressure. Whoops! Thankfully it hadn’t run over yet! I am so glad she checked!

Then as she was getting ready to leave for work she saw our dairy cow out for a stroll on the highway! Mary, the Jersey cow, decided she should go for a 1/2 mile run this morning. So then she got to turn around and walk/run the half mile back. I’m so thankful for our renter/neighbor!! She saved the day, twice! Thank you, Carrie!!

I tell you all this to say as much as I love this life, I think I need gates that automatically shut when the kids leave them open. And this “simple” life isn’t always so simple. I hope you have a blessed week and all the animals stay where they are supposed to be.


 

Blessings,

Jennifer

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