Ready for Spring?

I am. With this winter coming to an end my anxiety tends to get up. I love Spring but with so much to get done I get nervous about what gets done and when.

The garden plots have been plowed for the season when the weather was in the 60's this past week. Now the temps are back in the 40's. Our cabbage, broccolli, and brussle sprout plants are about 2 inches tall. We have vegetable plants every where in our house. Which brings me to our next step. This weekend we will go pick up our greenhouse. I have been waiting for them to go on sale before we use our 20% off coupon to save more money. They are on sale now so Im really excited to be getting it. Can't wait to get the rest of our plants growing.

Our chickens or shall I say one of our chickens seem to be laying an egg a day. They are just about 6 months old. The chicken tractor is done and they have been enjoying sunny days in the yard.

What are you doing to prepare for Spring?

Our first on this homestead

This year we have been having alot of firsts and its only the second month. Lambs are a first for out bit of soil - as is our first egg - Yup, we were surprised that on the first nice 60 degree day we were blessed with the most beautiful egg ever seen. The best part is that our daughter, that had been checking on them for days, is the one that found it. We all have been checking on the nesting box for weeks knowing it was getting close. We are pleased to beable to put eggs on the harvest tally now!!

Learning new things

Through this very difficult winter I have managed to be snowed in just enough to teach myself how to crochet.Something I have struggled with. I guess you can say I have crocheted my way through winter. Scarfs are the crocheting project of choice right now and it seems something I have mastered. All my kids have one, my mom, and I have been working on another for my niece. Hopefully by next winter I will manage a afghan.
Have you learned any new things this winter?

A friend

is doing an awesome give-away. The prize is a personlized Ramsign Enamel Sign, just follow the link -> to Homestead Revival and enter for a chance to win!
http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/02/give-away-ramsign-classic-enamel-signs.html">

Self - Sufficient part 1

For us here self sufficiency is a big priority of ours. Of course being self sufficient is a lot of hard work. From day light to dark there is something to do, from feeding, checking on animals, digging in the dirt, or playing with seeds. So where does one start on the road to self sufficiency? Well let me start by saying the road is long - don't try to get it all done in one year, it takes time. Its a learning experience. you learn by trial and a bunch of errors.
Our first 6 years here we concentrated our energy on the garden and building the soil. we experienced some great harvests, and some not so great. From there we introduced fruit trees onto our property. Now we have 5 apple trees, 3 peach trees and 2 cherry trees all well established and thriving. we also learned how to make laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent.
This year (Year 9) we are concentrating on animals and the greenhouse and maybe some alternative heating source. Getting animals is a given- everyone is on board and ready to learn and help. the green house should get done within the next month - just in time. The heating source we are doing some research on and trying to figure out which would be best for our needs. On one hand the outdoor wood stove will heat the home and our water but wondering if wood, to use in the stove, will be readily available. On the other hand we have been also looking at solar panels but will the sun be enough here in the winter months to keep our home warm. This will be an exciting venture to see how it turns out, stay tuned.