Category Archives: Newsy Stuff

Stressed

Hey there.

How are ya?

It’s been a while, I know.

Sorry about that.

Been a little crazy in our life lately.

In fact, I just added it up. In the last 6 months, I’ve traveled back to Nevada 5 times. That’s traveling nearly once a month! And they weren’t weekend trips either (well, one was). We’re talking about being gone from home for over a week, sometimes closer to two weeks!

In fact, I’m sitting in my mom’s living room in Nevada right now. Been in town three days already, and not leaving for another week.

Why have I done all that traveling? Good question. All but two of those trips were for work. But even when we came back down for other reasons, I still managed to get in some work days.

Normally I can do most of my job (about 5 hrs a week) from home on the computer. But every once in a while, the ropes challenge course I work for in Nevada needs their office manager actually IN the office. Or on the course. So the girls and I, and sometimes the hubby, pack up and make the 12 hour drive back to our second home. Who ever heard of a 600 mile commute?

To say that I’ve been busy this year is an understatement. No wonder Princess Girl got behind on her book work in school.

But, we’re trying to build a house, right? So’s I gotta make some money. Could I find a job in Oregon and cut out the monthly travel? Sure, but the ropes course needs me, and we want to see friends and family anyway, so here I am.

But it does get stressful being gone from home so much. Or is it that I like being in Nevada better and hate having to go back to Oregon after every trip?

At any rate, here we are in Nevada once again. The other evening, Flower Girl and I went up to Castle Rock with 7 gallons of water to put on our trees.

The trees were fairly stressed after having gone nearly a month in the middle of summer without anyone but God watering them. Considering that, however, they actually looked pretty good.

I thought they’d be crispier than they were. But then, it has been an unusually wet summer here in Nevada (while the Pacific Northwest is drying out in a particularly dry summer. Go figure!)

As the water jug was emptying onto the trees (slowly so the water would soak in, not run off), I took a hoe to the house pad. Weeds were starting to pop up quite a bit and we want to keep a handle on them.

I felt bad knocking down the Blazing Star flowers. I love their delicate beauty, yes, but more than that, I saw quite a few bees buzzing around them. And we all know that bees are our friends. But we are pretty serious about wanting to keep the house pad weed free, so I was merciless. Besides, there are plenty more lining the driveway.

And speaking of the driveway, I attacked it a bit with the hoe, too.

All those weeds in the right hand tire track used to be in the middle of the drive. I cut them out with the hoe, but I didn’t have the energy to come back and throw them all over the hillside. Not to mention the fact that I did not have gloves and these are nothing but green tumbleweeds (ie pokey!). They’ll dry out and the wind will take care of them for me. 🙂

And then it was time for “The Show”. That’s what my parents always called a particularly spectacular sunset. And, boy, was it ever spectacular!

Flower Girl and I were only on the homestead for about an hour, but it was enough to help ease the stress I’ve been feeling lately. (And, of course, the stress of the trees, too, since they finally got watered again ;-). )

Just wishing the Hubby and Princess Girl could have been there with us. They both stayed back in Oregon since we don’t want to leave Mom and Dad totally alone again so soon after our last time gone in July, and Princess Girl went to summer camp for her first time (how is she so grown up?)

And speaking of the homestead (’cause, ya know, that’s what I’ve been talking about this whole time), look what we got!

No, not really official blueprints yet. More like the preliminary plans just to see it on paper. But it’s from a real residential designer and looks all official and everything! It’s an big step forward in our plans for building on Castle Rock. We’re hoping that the next time we come back to Nevada we’ll have actual, real live, ready-to-take-to-the-building-department blueprints.

Exciting stuff right there!

Maridy

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121

To-do list

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I went grocery shopping yesterday. I spent $315 and that will feed us for the month other than weekly milk and egg runs (can’t wait till the chickens start producing!) and a mid month produce run (can’t wait till the garden starts producing!). The cart was filled mostly with produce and cheese and meat, but there were also some canned goods. I try to buy products with the least amount of ingredients. My dream is to be able to grow enough veggies that I am able to can them for our family for the whole year. But that dream is quite a ways in the future. So, for now, I make do with store bought stuff and try to buy as healthy as possible. But there was one thing on my list which I hated to put in the cart. Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup. Have you read the ingredients on those cans? First of all, they use wheat as a thickening agent and wheat is a major cause of inflammation in the body so I try to avoid it like the plague so my knees don’t flare up as easily. Also, they all have msg and a bunch of other questionable ingredients. But they are conventient! I have made cream of mushroom soup from scratch numerous times and it is absolutely delish. But when your 9 year old wants to make her old standby, greenbean casserole? Or you’re pressed for time? Or you don’t have fresh mushrooms in the fridge (a biggie for me!)? That’s where the canned stuff comes in handy. I think we’ve all been there. But I still hated putting it in my cart and I swore it would be the last time.
But what about convenience? my brain rebelled! That’s when I determined to finally get around to making and canning a big batch of mushroom stock which is the basis for cream of mushroom soup. Open a jar of home canned mushroom stock. Add it and some cream (or even just milk) in a pot and cook it down till as thick as desired. Defitely more time involved than cracking open a can of the condensed stuff, but still easy enough my 9 year old could handle it when she makes greenbean casserole. And waaay easier and faster than starting from mushrooms which may or may not be residing in the fridge.

So, mushroom stock got added to my to-do list, and I started wondering what other things I need to put on that list. So below is a bunch of homesteading type to-do items which need to get done in the near future, in no particular priority other than that’s the order they can to mind.

-Render bacon grease into lard
-Make and can mushroom stock
-Make yogurt
-Make canned diced tomatoes from the ‘maters in the freezer
-Clean out the chicken coop
-Fix the bottom hinge on the chicken coop door
-Do something with the blackberries in the freezer. Jam? Syrup? Cobbler?
-Make bone broth from the chicken bones accumulating in the freezer
-Build a raised bed in my little garden space my FIL gave me and fill with garden soil so I can plant some early spring stuff (still amazed I can start this early!).
-Fill the containers with soil so I can plant stuff.
-Get the peas and broccoli and lettuce and carrots and… planted! (See above)
-list ebay items to sell

Ok, so that last one isn’t necessarily related to homesteading, and yet it is. The money I get from selling some of my extra costumes (I used to be a professional seamstress and made historical costumes) will go into savings toward building our house when we eventually move back to Nevada.

And yeah, I crossed the bacon lard off the list because technically I finished that this morning. But you know the saying. Put one or two items on your list which you can immediately check off so you feel accomplished. 😉

So there you have it. A list of things to get done amonst all the other chores and responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, caring for people, and homeschooling. A lot to get done, some of it immediately, some it may be a while to find the time for. But a good list nonetheless.

What are some of your homesteading chores you need to get done?

Maridy

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.” Ps 121:1-2

On my walk today…

A Busy, Everyday Day

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Today was one of those days that just feel good at the end of it, ya know? It was just an everyday type of day. Nothing extra special, but I feel like I accomplished something -several things actually – and used my time wisely and had some fun.

First, as we were getting dressed this morning, we saw that the water district guys had started the flushing we had seen signs about. Since the hydrant is right outside our house, we got a front row view. And Princess Girl got an impromptu lesson in how the city water system works. She came up with about 10 questions to ask and the men very patiently answered them and even offered information freely. Plus, the girls got to play in the water. Win, win. But it did bring to mind the fact that we don’t really have the right systems in place for a water emergency. What if, during their flushing and testing, something came up and we couldn’t use the water coming out of our pipes? Not likely, but what if? We don’t have nearly enough water stored for a family of 6. Good food for thought.

Our homeschooling day continued with some online research for her Geography lesson. Princess Girl’s daddy got a look at her outfit and thought she was being silly to be wearing her butterfly wings and bee dress while doing her school work. I love that while homeschooling, she CAN. No uniforms here.

Half way through the day I got some Apple Butter cooking in the crockpot. It’s the absolutely easiest way to cook it. It only requires stirring every once in a while. However, I had forgotten about doing it, so I really got it started too late. Here it is after 9pm and I’m looking at at least another hour or cooking, then the canning process. It’s gonna be a late night. 🙂

I spent some time getting some jams together for a friend. She is buying them for her coworkers for Christmas. I also boxed up a few things I sold on Ebay and need to mail tomorrow. I ran a few errands and made potato soup for dinner.

Then I decided it was time to introduce you all to the newest members of our ever growing family. So I went out to the garage and got some pics of our six chicks.

We don’t know what breeds they are. They all come from the same nest of eggs, but the friends who they belonged to said it was a hidden nest and could have had eggs from several hens. They didn’t even know they had a broody hen until they saw the babies a couple weeks ago.

They have a very mixed flock and don’t even know exactly what breeds they have. But they knew they didn’t want 6 more chickens. They mentioned it to us and we told them we could take the chicks off their hands if we could borrow their chick nursery setup since we don’t have any equipment and no money to buy even the basics, what with the holidays fast approaching. They said sure and even bought us a new heat lamp!

So, now we have 6 chicks in a cage inside a box out in the garage. It’s so cold in the garage that I’ve been checking on them roughly 20 times a day (maybe a slight exaggeration). I even dreamed about them last night. But with the heat lamp, they are staying warm enough. Actually, my fear would be that they would get too warm, since there’s not much room in their little cage to get away from the heat lamp if they get hot. But they are happy and doing well.

We brought a few of them in the house to play with this evening. I am always amazed at how gentle Flower Girl is with helpless creatures. She just about mauls Scooter when they play (and Scooter loves it all!), but she seems to know instictively to be careful with the chicks. So adorable.

This one is so cute. It’s the only dark one. Any guesses as to what breed it might be?

It looks like it will be a speckled brown when it gets fully feathered.

How about this one? Pretty much pure blonde.

Silly girl! (And well behaved chick 😉 )

I love this picture. The chick had just pooped on her. 😉

So, yeah, we hadn’t planned on getting chicks this winter, we were going to wait till Spring, like normal people. But like so many things in our lives lately, it didn’t go exactly as we planned. And I’m good with that.

And yes, of course we are well aware that some or all of these could be roosters. We are hoping not of course, but if we do get some males, we know what to do with them.

Alright, it’s getting late and I have some Apple Butter to can. Guess I’d better go. I hope you have had a wonderful Autumn day.

Maridy

“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.” Ps 121:1-2

Makin’ Moolah!

The Family

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Wow, it’s been a while since I wrote. Sorry about that. With the move and settling in to our new place, it was just easier to post pics, etc to Facebook than to create posts on this blog (you are a fan on Facebook, right?). But I am committed to doing a better job with blogging. Anyway, here’s one of the posts I’ve been meaning to do since before we moved. So, without further ado, please allow me to introduce…My Family.

It’s a bit late since you’ve already seen them in posts, but I want to take this time to introduce you to my wonderful family (which at the moment includes my wonderful hubby and children, my loving in-laws, and a tiny Chihuahua with a big personality.)

My husband (aka “The Hubby”)

I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful man as my life partner. He is caring, sensitive, and loving.

He is funny and adventurous and responsible.

He is a wonderful father to our two girls. He plays with them, teaches them, and listens to them.

Photo: JKH Phtography 2012

And a 98% awesome husband to me (a Facebook quiz told me so!).

My eldest child (aka “Princess Girl”)

What can I say about Princess Girl without sounding like I’m bragging? Not much. I happen to think she’s pretty amazing! Mommy’s helper, Sushi lover, outdoor girl, a princess but not a diva, responsible, hard working, smart, creative, even tempered, and loving. Yeah, she’s not perfect, she still gets in trouble (she is only 8 afterall), but she’s amazing nontheless.

Mommy’s Helper

Lover of sushi (especially salmon eggs – ewww, how can she stand to eat fish bait??)

Her first fire she made all by herself before we had to leave the homestead.

She is such a good helper that sometimes I have to remind myself to leave her be to do her school work or just be a kid 🙂

My beautiful Princess Girl

First time alone behind the wheel this last weekend as we visited the homestead.

From digging in the sand to doing ballet on the beach, that’s my girl.

A true princess is kind, generous, responsible, and smart. No wonder we call her Princess Girl 🙂

First day of 4th grade – she’s growing up so quickly!

My younger child (aka “Flower Girl”)

It took 7 long years for our longing for another child to be fulfilled. Flower Girl’s adoption was a dream come true and we are extremely blessed to be called her parents. At not-quite-two years old, she is full of life and spunk. She will try almost anything new (except food!), is very independent, gives the best kisses and hugs, and is just a joy to watch. She also doesn’t let much stand in her way. Though she has a temper, she is learning obedience and I have hopes that the “two’s” won’t be too terrible. She loves animals, especially “sorseys” (aka horses), and has an amazing ability to pick up on and mimic conversations. It is such a pleasure to watch her learn and grow.

This girl loves MEAT! That’s about the only food she’ll consistently eat. And that’s fine by me!

She loves “helping” and doing everything that Mommy and Sissy are doing. She quickly learned how to pick blackberries without getting poked. How many 21 month olds could do that? 🙂

OMGosh! This girl and dirt! She loves playing in it.

Even a broken leg couldn’t keep her down for very long. By the time she got it off after a month, she had been running on it for two weeks straight!

She finally learned how to “blow” and I foresee a fun birthday this year.

I was so sad when we had to move and couldn’t take our chickens with us. Flower Girl was too, she loves “chichins”.

Not afraid of creepy-crawlies. She is enthralled with lizards and all kinds of bugs. (Not so fun when she hands you something and when it drops into your hand you see that it is a live ant!)

As I said, she loves to help. Here she is helping her grandpa with the trimming. Look at her face!

Even though they are 7 years apart in age, the two girls love each other and playing together.

Princess Girl is an awesome big sister to whom Flower Girl already looks up to with adoration.

The In-Laws (aka “Bachan” and “Pagee” or “Mom and Dad”)

So, my in-laws are really great. And I’m not just saying that because they might read this post. They probably won’t ever see it since they are not on the internet very often. They really are some of the best in-laws I could ever hope for. Though leaving Nevada has proven to be one of the hardest things we’ve ever done, it has been a pleasure to be able to help and serve these two wonderful people.

Mom and Dad’s 40th anniversary

The Pooch (aka “Scooter”)

One of the harder aspects of leaving the homestead was knowing we couldn’t bring our dog, Obsidian, with us. But a big black Lab and a tiny yard and a small house with white carpets just don’t mix. So, we found him a good home with friends and hope to get him back when we move home. But, I guess God decided we still needed a dog in our lives, because only about a week after moving up to Oregon, this little girl followed us home one day. We put up fliers, posted her in the found dogs at the local shelter, and checked the missing dogs posts every day. No one ever claimed her. And so, with us she will stay. Not sure what we’ll do once we move back to the homestead, but as tiny as she is, she’ll probably just live in the trailer with us (Obsidian was strictly and outside dog because he was so huge, the trailer so small, and we didn’t want him tracking in dirt).

She’s a teeny, tiny little thing, and I love that her ears droop. So cute!

We’ll definitely need to get her some sweaters for winter, she’s always seeking out the sun for warmth. Hmmm…maybe she’s part cat?

See, itty, bitty

Love this one. The hubs passed out for a nap and Scooter made herself at home. She is definitely a cuddler!

So, there you have it. That’s my family. I think they are pretty awesome. God has blessed me so very much!

UPDATE: In September of 2015, we brought another family member home from Nevada with us. We now have two dogs!

Obsidian is a black lab whom we’ve had since he was 7 weeks old. He spent a year with some friends in Nevada while we adjusted to living in Oregon.

Such a handsome boy!

But now he lives with us. He was the piece of our family that was missing, and now he’s back where he belongs.

So glad to have him with us again!

Yes, it’s challenging having a large dog on a tiny city lot (his poops are ginormous!) but it’s not as bad as it would have been a couple years ago when he was much more rambunctious. At 7 years old, he’s now older than we are (in dog years, of course). Though as a lab, he’ll never grow out of his goofiness, I don’t think. 🙂

The things we do for Family

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We’ve had a major change in our family. It happened suddenly and without warning. On July 5^th, everything was copacetic. We had no idea what we would be deciding on July 6^th. It was one of the hardest, yet easiest decisions we’ve ever had to make as a family. But we are at peace with our decision knowing it was the right one.

We no longer live on the homestead. BUT, before you give up hope, we want you to know that our plans for the homestead are still in place, just postponed. You see, we went to the Portland, OR area to visit family over the 4^th of July weekend. The Hubby’s mom has some health issues which caused a decline in her health to a point which she now needs 24 hour care. In fact, she is currently in the hospital.

Princess Girl with her Bachan in the hospital

We were unaware of the extent to which Hubby’s dad was having to care for her and how worn out he was getting. Before we left to travel back to Nevada, it was decided that we would move up to the Northwest to help out in any way possible. We truly feel that God has directed our lives to be able to do this for our family. If we were still in our house downtown, it would have been a much harder decision, a lot longer process, and way more upset to the status quo. As it is, it was fairly easy to pack up our belongings and, with the help of our family and friends, batten down the hatches on the homestead, and head out in just under a week.

This plus the back half of our van is most of all of our personal belongings.

There is a saying in the Bible that says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) We thought we knew where our life was headed. We had it all planned out. But God had a different plan in store for us. And that’s ok.

So, here we are. Desert transplants in the steamy Pacific Northwest. What does this mean for Castle Rock Homestead? As I said before, our plans are just postponed. It’s looking like we will be here for at least a year, but we do plan to go back to Nevada and pick up where we left off. And actually, since our expenses here should be less than they were there, we should still be able to save money. So by the time we move back, we will be further along in that respect.

As for the blog, I still plan to write. I have a backlog of articles I have been meaning to get to about our goings on, but have been too busy to write. I also have a whole list of things to write about that don’t have to do with our homestead in particular, but rather homesteading in general. Also, my father-in-law has a garden in the backyard (albeit a tiny one), and we now live in the Pacific Northwest! Blackberry bushes are considered weeds around here. Weeds! Which produce fruit! The growing season here is not necessarily much longer, but decidedly milder, and having to water the garden is a once in a while occurrence. There are definitely some things I am going to enjoy about our sojourn here.

Everything is so GREEN!

I plan to do some canning, and I want to try my hand at soap making. You know, a few of the things that would have been harder to do on the homestead while focused on building a house. So I will keep up on the blog, hopefully more faithfully than I have been heretofore.

But I know you all understand. And I thank you for your continued support. We are going to miss the homestead while we are gone.

Our last sunset on the homestead for a while.

But are also looking forward to the adventure of living in the Pacific Northwest for the next little while.

My new breakfast spot. I will definitely enjoy the beauty around me.

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