~ Recycled Lumber Chicken Coops ~



My husband built this coop for some friends for a wedding present. Except for the hardware, all the materials used were from recycled pallets. The shingles are left over from another project we had.  It will be delivered today along with four hens and a rooster so that they have eggs right away.

This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday
Homestead Barn Hop

~ Gardens are Coming Along ~

While we haven't planted anything outside yet (it was snowing yesterday) we have been very busy getting everything ready. My seedling desperately need to be potted up to the next size. I have raked the leaves out of all established garden space. Some landscaping has been done, partly to make things look nicer, partly to keep the chickens out and cut done on the amount of grass that we have to mow. I hate mowing grass, I would rather pick weeds and water and get something for my effort. Hopefully it will warm up here and we can get to planting. I took lots of pictures just to show some of the things we have been doing. I think my yard is cleaner that my house, but oh well.

This was grass/yard last year (barely) but will be garden this year. It will be for herbs and edible flowers.

Left side of the picture above.

This is the garden by the side of the house. This was tomato territory last year but will be for melons this year. Another spot that used to be grass. The chickens have done a good job of turning the dirt for me.

The small garden behind the garage. We need to take out some trees so there is less shade. The strawberries are under the lattice so that the chickens won't eat them. Lettuce, peas, and other cold crops will go there this year once the chickens have left.

Flower boxes I built last year for the cucumbers. Revamped them a bit, put post in the corners to hold the fence and created space for growing vines. I don't know whether I will plant flowers or pole beans there yet.

Space at our house that is going to become garden instead of mowing grass. The fruit trees are planted at the edge of the yard in the back.

Big garden at the big house.

Flower garden at the big house.

Small garden at the big house.

Strawberries

Garlic

Raspberries

This post is part of the HSV Garden Challenge Link Up #2

~ Happy Resurrection Day ~

~ The Pretty Pink Room ~

There are three and a half years between my second and third child. I slept with both my older kids just so I could get some sleep. I did not plan it that way, if fact I said my babies would never sleep in my bed, because that would just be a bad habit. We struggle for the first week and then I said forget it! I need sleep and this baby will sleep next to me. Sleep is what we all needed.

Fast forward to the third baby. This time it was a girl. Excitement could not be contained and man did I go crazy. The perfect pink ballerina room. Martha Stewart Bonnet Pink on the bottom three-quarters and Magnolia White on the top one-quarter with a ballerina border in between. The dresser and changing table got the supreme pink and white treatment too. Apparently I forgot how much my previous two kids slept in their decked out nurseries. None.

Guess how much my baby girl slept in that pretty pink room with in the first year. None. Baby number four didn't get the nursery treatment other than a little bedskirt in blue for the crib that has seen more clean clothes that babies. Why I took the time to make it I don't know. Its not that my kids have never used the crib for a nap here or there, its just that those times were far and few between.

We now have that crib side-car onto our queen bed giving us all more room to sleep. It has been the best way to nurse at night, no need to get up and stumble in the darkness stubbing toes to get to baby and no more being squashed.

For more information on co-sleeping/baby sleep research from Peaceful Parenting click here
The Benefits of Co-Sleeping from Breastfeeding.com
Hobo Mama: How to Co-Sleep Safely: A tutorial in pictures
    

~ And the Winner Is...~

This was the giveaway that I was doing for the Ultimate Blog Party, to celebrate all of my lovely followers but our mama cow delivered that Sunday night and then it actually got warm and things got really busy and I got really tired...

...the reusable recycled produce bags are done, have been for awhile...

Amanda Congrats, send me an email so I can send you your bags!

~ Natural Parenting Blog Party ~

Joining in on the Natural Parenting Blog Party for April 15 - 30.
1.  How many children do you have, and how old are they?
     I have four children 9,7,4,2

2.  Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?
     I have a wonderful husband.

3.  What are your “hot button” parenting issues?
     Food and how it affects our children's behavior is the number one thing I write about. Want to get my
     blood boiling, talk about the "biblical way" to "train" a child using the rod verses ignoring all original Hebrew text and its correct translation and accurate historical setting.

4.  Have you made any parenting choices that you didn't think you would make before you were a parent,  i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?
     I thought baby was going to sleep in his own bed, but soon realized that sleeping with baby was the
     best and easiest way to get some sleep.

5.  Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?
     no, I have recently found quite a few blogs that have helped me immensely, post will links to come

6.  If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?
     thoughtful, kind hearted, vivacious, and delightful

7.  Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change?
     Vaccinating  and circumcision.

8.  Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at?
     Being consistent.

9.  Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?
     raw smoothies

10.  Vanilla ice cream or chocolate?
      homemade raw cream vanilla

11.What’s your guilty pleasure?
     organic chocolate covered tart cherries

12.If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?
     I don't watch tv.

~ Spicy Sweet Potato Frittata ~

I make at least two baked egg dishes a week. It is an easy way to get everyone fed and they all love eggs (good thing because we get about 40 a day).

3 nitrate free grassfed spicy chicken sausage or 3 strips of turkey bacon (sausage removed from casing and crumbled)

1 large organic onion chopped

2 large organic sweet potato, 1/2 inch diced

1 organic red bell pepper, 1/4 dice

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp curry powder

8 pastured eggs

1/2 cup raw heavy cream

1 1/2 cup raw or organic sharp cheddar

salt and pepper

1 bunch of green onions, garnish

Saute your sausage/bacon, onion, sweet potatoes, and red pepper in some coconut oil until soft. Blend eggs and cream together. If you used a cast iron pan you can pour your eggs right into your sweet potato mixture, top with cheese and pop into the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.

Monday Mania

Real Food Wednesday

Simple Lives Thursday

~ Oh Me, Oh My ~

So much to do so little daylight. I raked leaves until I couldn't see what I was doing last night. I have a ton of pictures but they will have to wait because we have church tonight. I having been making the tried and true recipes lately but have a few new ones to post. Maybe tonight I won't be exhaused and just fall into bed!

~ Busy Week ~

I can't believe the week is almost over. I was really excited for the Ultimate Blog Party and then we (I say we but I really had nothing to do with it) had a baby calf and moved the baby chicks outside (yay!!!). It has started to get really nice outside so I have had very little time to check out new blogs or even blog on my own blog!

 This was early morning, hard to believe that by afternoon they were all running around in t-shirts! Jairden is a farm boy through and through. I swear he can hear that tractor start from the next county over.

For all those who visited from the UBP and left comments know that I am coming to check out your blog soon! I stole a few moments today and whipped up a reusable produce bag and will find time to make a couple more for the give away!

The asparagus plants that I started from seeds came up, so much for ten weeks till germination. All of my seedlings are doing really good and I will have to pot up the tomato and pepper seedlings soon. Now that it is nice I can make some hoop covers to start warming the dirt for my melon plants. I am determined to get melons this year. Last year was just to cold and rainy. A few very small melons were harvested but nothing big enough to eat.

Our homeschooling is still going well! There are weeks that are not as structured (no structure?) but full of practical application, like cooking and baking to learn fractions and Celsius/Fahrenheit or building chicken coops for wedding presents to learn about architecture.

My Little Cowboy!

~ Spring! Its Finally Here!! ~

The house is totaled but its nice outside so...off to see if I can work up the dirt and get ready to plant peas. Moving the leeks into our little green house. Child screaming for me...Hoping to get pictures up later and hoping you are having a great day!

~ Rambunctious Rosie ~

The quality of the video isn't that great, I was just using my camera but she is cute none the less.

~ Easy Recycled Plant Tags ~

 In a house with four kids, three being boys, for long winter days keeping the house in one piece can be challenging. After one particular, wild, adventurous afternoon of play it was discovered that the blind in one of the bedrooms had a few broken slats and one of the strings to pull it up was lost "down the hole".  I wasn't really upset, with a Menard's rebate we paid a dollar a blind eight years ago and because we have such a moisture problem we can't have the blinds down anyway. Good thing we live in the country!

Because of said moisture issue, the blind had to come down. It moved from location to location for awhile. I just couldn't throw it away, it had to be good for something. Plant Labels!! I cut each slat in half length wise and then cut them to length I need to mark each cell. I use a permanent marker to write what kind of seeds were planted. Since they are plastic they won't rot and as long as I keep little fingers from pulling them all out I will know which tomatoes are which this year.

~ Rosie ~

Our mama cow had her calf this evening. A beautiful little heifer calf. I missed the birth by no more than 15 minutes by my estimation. I got to watch her take those first wobbly steps and I am now on baby watch every two hours. I am most likely being overprotective, but this is *my* first calf. We are really blessed that we have such a gentle mama cow. We had to move them into the barn because it started to rain outside. She didn't mind one bit.

*Update : Just peeked a couple of times last night. Went out this morning to feed. Oh My Goodness, can you say cute! I sat down in the stall, mama and baby were laying down. Baby got up and came over to smell my face and let me rub her all over. Mama just laid there and watched, mooing every now and again. I got up to get hay so mama got up and baby immediately went back to nurse. Can we say engorged? I know how she feels and its not a nice feeling. I helped baby get a really good hold on those great big nipples and she nurse with great joy, that little tail just a going.

I am glad she delivered yesterday evening because last night was snowing and the wind was whipping. They were snug as a bug in the barn. The sun is shining now so hopefully it will warm up some and I can let them out of their stall for some extra sunshine.

This post is shared at:

Monday Mania

Homestead Barn Hop
Simple Lives Thursday

~ The Homeschool Village ~

For all my homeschooling mommy friends out there I want to share with you a fabulous new blog that I found. The Homeschool Village. The organizational, OCD nerd in me has found a new love. She uses a system call workboxes. You can also use workstrips. Not only do they help the kids stay on tract but me too. My brain is swimming with the ways that they can help our house run smoother, now to just find the time to get it all done.

Right now Jolanthe is hosting The Homeschooling Village Gardening Challenge. You don't have to have a huge garden or even a blog to participate, a flower box or container will do! So, go check it out and link up. She also has some great gardening challenge preschool packs that are chalked full of fun!

~ 2011 Ultimate Blog Party ~

I am a Christian AP momma, living my dream of being a domestic diva to a wonderful husband and four beautiful kids. I love to share my knowledge and experiences on alternative healing, vaccine injury in children, homebirth, attachment and natural parenting issues, intactivism, lactivism, whole foods/nourishing nutrition, co-op shopping, organic gardening and farming, cooking, and homeschool/unschooling. I love being a momma and wouldn't want to do anything else, (even when life is not always a ton of fun).


Our family is very blessed by my parents and their willingness to share their 80 acre farm. We are in the process of building it back up and becoming self sustaining. We are also trying to balance the passion of everyone having access to really good food at a reasonable price while still trying to make a living.

Right now I am trying balance and find a new balance as summer approaches for all of the plates I have spinning in the air. I try and answer question as quick as I can. I love comments and hearing from you!! Anything you see or find on my blog is something that I wholeheartedly believe in. I don't recommend things that I don't love and use myself.

***Give Away ***
Because I finally found my sheer curtains that I have been meaning to make reusable produce bags out of and because I have gained quite a few new followers lately I will be making some extras and doing a giveaway. I think it is kind of funny, I get so excited every time someone new starts to follow my blog, that I could really write something that someone else would find interesting. When I visit sites that have 1000s of followers I always wonder if they are still as excited as when they first started blogging. If I ever get to that point, I sure hope I am.

So, if you follow my blog you will automatically be entered to win some nifty reusable produce bags made out of recycled sheer curtains.