What we're up to..

Not alot of time to post these days...not sure why, but I'm sure it's because I'm being so productive, right???

Anyway, here are a few quick updates.

On the farm:
The farm is beginning to stir and prepare for spring.  We already have our seed order sorted and will begin to start tomato and pepper seedlings later this week.  I am trying a few new items to grow this year, like celeriac, and can't wait to get into the garden.  Nothing like the feel and smell of fresh, warm soil.

We are also putting together our chick order for 4H birds and replacement pullets.  I order 10-15 replacement laying hens (pullets) each year as the birds we have age and stop laying eggs, and we often pick a few "fun" birds to try out and show at our County Fair.  This year, we are trying out Golden Polish "Hat Heads", because they make us laugh!

Miss Candace, Bri's new Oberhasli goat, delivered two little doelings during the night, and sadly one didn't make it :-(  However, the other one is up and just cute as a bug!  We are busy perusing the soap making websites and planning our first batch of goats milk soap.  Once we get our mudroom set up and plumbed, we will begin making soap for our own use and maybe to use as gifts.
We ordered a bar of goatsmilk soap from our coop, and it's like silk on your skin- cannot wait until we begin making our own.


In the house:  I'm working on the April decluttering schedule, but it's about filing and paperwork organization, something that I try to avoid!  I plan on having the month's schedule completed over the next 2 weeks so I can move on to meatier projects, like tossing, I mean, cleaning out lots and lots of toys! 

Started setting up our mudroom and got the wall of shelving moved last weekend.  I'll post pictures once we are done with the room.  It's going to be so nice to have all of the canning equipment and jars out of my kitchen.  There will also be a spot for coats and boots when you come in the back door-  Goodbye mud being tracked into the house!  Yah, life is good.

With the kids:  Quinn has accepted her new haircut with barely any acknowledgement and doesn't appear to hold a grudge, so peace reigns among the Littles.  However, she has entered the "Me Do" stage, which means everything takes three times as long as usual. sigh.
Homeschooling continues to flow- Bri continues to tackle advanced math and Early World History, and the Littles are learning colors and shapes, counting items,  how to do a puzzle without breaking the pieces, how to play Memory, and coloring. We are doing more reading and both Quinn and GW are doing more pretend-play, which neither of them had much exposure to before.   The other day I was the patient while they played with the Fisher Price doctor kit, and they didn't want to stop that game for nothing!  However, after being pinched about 30 times by GW with the tweezers and getting shots from Quinn, I was more than done!!

With us:  Barely making it to 10:00 every evening tells me that we must be working hard, right?
 I am still sticking with my Bible 90 day challenge, and currently in Lamentations.  Told my pastor about this challenge, and he said that many of the seminary students did a 1 year schedule to read the Bible.  When I told him this one was to be done in 90 days, he was more than a little impressed.  Of course, I have no time to read anything else, including the Sunday paper.

Other than making some squares for our local theater's raffle quilt, I haven't done any of my own quilting in about 2 weeks.  Need to get working on the retro pinwheel pattern that I started, and then begin a quilt for Quinn for her new room.  Now that basketball season is over, I will have more evenings and Saturdays to get things done...at least until track season starts!

So far no Diet Coke or Aspertame have touched my lips since Lent started, and the more I learn about the dangers of this chemical, the less I want to ingest it.  Gotta check out some of the organic soda that our coop sells, because I'm really craving carbonation and caffeine!

Medical appointments have really been ruling our lives- SB clinic for Quinn last week, rheumatology, cardiology, and orthotic appts for J and now two orthodontic appts tomorrow.  I will be glad to get past these and have a more "stay at home" week so that I can get some of these pending projects done.

Lent services are a joy and our community shares these services between all the different churches, so every Wednesday evening it gives us a chance to worship with people in town that we otherwise don't get to and hear pastors from other denominations- really loving it. <3

Meanwhile, in the rush and hurry of the day, we will continue to live this life that is ours, blessed that in it's simplicity we are happy and healthy and growing in body and spirit, and continue to follow where God leads us. 

Bri's new little doeling