It was chilly again, but we’re setting our eyes on spring anyway! Lots of new experiences are headed our way. For one, I just started my first attempt at starting seeds under the grow light. I’ve been checking in daily, testing water levels, turning the container so each side gets light evenly, and saying “I have no idea what I’m doing!” a ton. There’s only so much reading you can do before you probably should just dive right in. I’m praying for at least moderate success, but we’ll see. The other big news is that we made final preparations for the 65 baby chicks that will be arriving by the end of the week. I’m excited and terrified at all the unknowns, but I figure common sense and quick searches on homestead blogs will keep us afloat in the weeks to come.
My 12-year-old wanted to make something special for dinner. After browsing the cookbooks and the refrigerator, he settled on stuffed peppers!
I’ve started collecting old Landmark Books from the 1950s. I’m trying to spend around $5-6 per book and have been pretty successful so far. (I’ve had good luck on Better World Books and ebay.) I wasn’t sure if the kids would find them at all interesting, but we’ve actually had some fun discussions while browsing through the Secret Service book. Lots of talk about fraudulent currency and then checking out the little details on dollar bills.
I love the shadow that the little orange tree makes at dinnertime.
Don’t you just love a book that has a map inside? I finished Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology on Friday night. I’ll have a better review at the end of the month, but it definitely had me questioning the idea of how much technology is too much. Where is the line where technology stops working for us and we become slaves to technology? Everyone will have a different answer for that, I’m sure, but it’s an interesting thought experiment. I’ve also been pondering this quote from the Epilogue: “The main three ingredients of technological liberation are a pinch of muscle, a sprinkle of wits, and a dash of willingness.” (p.228)
No photographic evidence, but I also…
+ made a decent dent in my green decluttering bin. I posted a ton of Sophie’s spring/summer clothes from last year, along with a few doll toys that she’s outgrown. They were snatched up on Trash Nothing in hours!
+ made a batch of granola. It was gone in two days.
+ will be forever grateful for the new trampoline the kids got for Christmas – thanks Mom & Dad! My four youngest will happily play out there for hours, even in the cold.
+ ordered a ThredUp Cleanout Kit as an alternative way to get rid of some of my reselling stock. I know that I won’t get nearly the amount that I would on Poshmark or ebay, but I’m ready to get these clothes out of my closet and move to a new entrepreneurial direction.
+ watched a turkey vulture sit pompously on the top of our basketball hoop. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an uglier bird.
+ dealt with water dripping from a recessed light in our basement. So random and puzzling! Thankfully, we know a guy who knows a guy (gotta love small towns!) who came out to help us figure out the problem. He ripped up a piece of the ceiling and found the leak and it seems to be a pretty easy fix. Ahh home ownership…there’s always something.
{Linking up with Rosie}
Nothing says spring is on the way more then baby chicks and starting seeds!!! Good luck on both fronts!! i’m sure you’ll be great.
Thank you! I know I’m going to be learning A TON the next few months!
Your seedlings look promising!! It’s always a learning experience 🙂 And that’s a lot of chicks!!! Are you doing a batch of meat birds as well as layers? I’ve still got a couple freezers full from our summer butchering, trying to decide if we need to do a batch this year…
Yes! 15 hens and 50 to process. We thought we’d start relatively small and then do a second batch later in the summer. I’m looking forward to the ability to shop from our freezer in the fall!
65 baby chicks?! eeeeek! so excited for you? meat chickens or laying chickens? I’m here for any quick questions – we are by no means experts, but we’ve learned a lot through the experience over the last few years.
Also, yes – trampoline is the best kid outdoor toy ever. our kids were just out there in the cold for 2 hours and I was so grateful for the energy release OUTSIDE hahaha. they have been climbing the walls!
Yes! 15 hens and 50 to process! We’ll probably do a second round of meat chickens later in the summer. I’d love to hear any tips or your favorite chicken-y items – we have so much to learn!
Good luck with all your chicks! As long as you make sure they’re warm enough and have food and water and check every day or two for pasty butt, you should be pretty good! We were super sad that one of our older (laying) hens died today…so sad! Maybe someday it will get easier for me, but I’m just so sad about it when it does happen (this is our second time—the first was with a baby chick). Other than that, we’ve found chickens to be a super-easy, relatively low-maintenance “pet” to have, and nothing beats the eggs 🙂
Did you get all the same variety or a bunch of different ones?
I keep hearing that chickens are the gateway animal for farm life! I’m really looking forward to having breakfast ingredients available right in my backyard!
For our first time, we had all the meat chickens be the same and all the hens be the same, but I’d like to diversify the hens eventually. I think the multi-colored eggs may be a fun selling point someday.
The multicolored eggs really are a selling point! People are fascinated by ours, and we’ve actually been pretty surprised at how willing people have been to buy from us. We actually have a waiting list! Insane.
That Secret Service book looks awesome! I would have loved that as a kid… and it still looks intriguing 😉 Also, I’m very impressed with your 12-year-old’s culinary skills.
Me too! He loves being in the kitchen and has WAY more skills at 12 than I did, ha!
Looking forward to chicken pictures! And the books look very entertaining
I can’t wait to take baby chick pictures! 🙂
Baby chicks and seed starting! Spring must be on the way 🙂
Yes! They’re both quickly becoming some of my favorite things. 🙂
Oh I’m so envious of your little seedlings! I am sure going to miss gardening this year. But I have an Aero garden full of herbs on my kitchen counter that is filling the void a little bit!
I’ve been curious about those Aero gardens! How do you like it? Are they easy to maintain?