This week on the homestead has been a busy one. Zoo trips, canning, gardening, cleaning and illness. This has been our busy week.
We started off by working over the weekend to get all of our Monday home school items completed so we could go to the zoo. We were successful but got on the road late because of a trip to the bank. The zoo itself was WONDERFUL. There was hardly anyone there which gives me the added freedom to let Tag Along walk as much as he wants too with no big risks of being lost in the crowd.
We followed up with gardening and canning this week. The potatoes are in need of coming out of the ground. I am digging them due to all the rain we have been continuously having. However, I found slugs as I was digging. I have never had this problem before so it looks as though I will be crushing egg shells and sprinkling in my garden around my plants from now on.
Our butternut squash have been growing in full swing so I will be looking to create some new recipes in the coming weeks. Be sure to watch for my post entitled “Butternut Squash Extravaganza” if you are experiencing a bounty of squash as well.
The boys and I successfully completed a large batch of tomato soup thanks to the help of a friend of ours, she lent us her food mill which was amazing. The soup is now waiting for us to eat it and boy does it taste wonderful!
My husband and I celebrated our eight year anniversary. We have not yet figured out where the time went but it has gone by fast. Incase you are reading this, dear, here’s to many more.
We have elected to make a big change on the homestead as well. We are going to be moving. Our current residence has been wonderful for us but we are in need of our own place here in Minnesota. It seems silly to many, as we currently own a property in Wisconsin-barn and land, no house. We were able to find a fantastic piece of property only about five miles away and it will be a two minute drive to work for my husband. Be sure to follow and look under the tab “Making a Homestead a Home” for more updates on the property. There is much to be done.
Tractor Man surprised us with a stomach flu bug of some sort. Our normally active boy was very willing to sit, sip water and snuggle in a blanket. For my followers you know this is not normal Tractor Man behavior. I am looking forward to him getting back into his normal step. Thankfully, to this point, Tag Along has not joined him.
Illness always prompts me to clean more and forces me to do more laundry. This has been good for my de-cluttering. I know that in the long run it will all work out and I will have a cleaner space surrounding all of us as we determine what we really need in our home. Plus it will be less to have to pack and transport to the new house!
Oh life on the homestead. It is challenging and busy but so full of joys that are simple in our lives. The look of wonder on the boys faces as we find worms while digging potatoes. The way a floor glistens once it has been scrubbed clean of the dirt, most likely from those same potatoes. The beauty of food preserved in jars with all their colors and nutrients. The simple joy of the homestead and all it holds.
Happy homesteading everyone.