A Family That Works Together . . .

Posted on 2008-Jun-19 at 09:44

It's Thursday evening and I am starting my weekend, since I work 4, 10 hours days each week.  We had a quick dinner and headed outside to enjoy the nice weather.  We relaxed and drank Otai (watermelon, water, and grated fresh coconut).  We quickly were done relaxing and were back at work pulling weeds in the flower beds, watering flowers, and washing the front porch.  The kids then picked up all their toys and we headed to the garden to weed.  We got several rows weeded and also gave manure tea to plants that needed a little growth boost.

The garden is really doing quite well.  This year we have managed to keep up on the weeding and it really makes it more enjoyable to be out there weeding.  At least you feel like you are making progress.  DH and I each weed a little each day and we assign the older girls to do weeding if we get behind.  All the little plants are up and the garden is very full of items that will be harvested and stored away for winter. 

Tonight I had my yearly panic attack - maybe it is not enough?  Some of the tomatoes are not looking well, maybe they won't make it.  I should have put in more eggplant; we eat a lot of eggplant.  Squash there is not going to be enough.  Every year I go through this.  Then I take a deep breath and realize that 1) the Lord will provide and 2) it is more than last year and we have made it just fine.  I will try to get a few more plants if I can find any and shore up some of these areas that I am concerned about.  After all, I never have too much.  You may say ask, "never?"  Yes, never.  I always wish I had more to put up even zucchini.

The girls finished their cobblestone path through the herb garden on Wednesday.  They shoveled for a couple of days until they had it dug out 3" and then they laid 1" of gravel.  Wednesday evening they moved all the cobblestones to the location and it took Dad about 30 minutes to put them in.  DH does this for a living so we were blessed that he helped get them in all flat and level.  The girls did the hard work though and I hope they are proud.  Their next project is to research wind power for running two functions of our home - hot water/heat pump that works with the outdoor wood boiler and the water pump. 

We are working on getting some more animals here on the farm.  We hope to get a buck this weekend for our milk goats.  We are planning to cross breed them with a meat goat.  I am looking for a milk cow and I may be getting close.  Next will be sheep.  We are getting a cow from my father to butcher in July and when he brings her he may also bring a horse for the girls.  They don't know yet, but they will be so blessed and excited if that happens.

Well, this weekend we have to pick strawberries and make jam and freeze them whole.  We will harvest some spinach tomorrow and put it in the freezer.  We will run a few errands tomorrow.  On Saturday I am going to the home shcool curriculum fair and prepraing to have another family from church over for Sunday supper.  It will be another busy weekend, but we have a plan.  Happy homesteading . . .