Clothes on the Line!

Well, yesterday I used my new clothes line for the second time. Normally I do the laundry on Wednesday but it was raining so I didn't get to it till Friday. My wonderful husband Eric built it for me. I can't tell you how happy I am to have it up. He finished it last Wednesday, just in time for wash day! 

 

Had to run to the local Family Dollar store and buy new clothes pins though. I must have left my old ones back in WA. Totally a bummer too! The ones that they sell now are made so cheaply that they come off if you don't get them on just right. If anyone knows where I can get some good ones let me know. I've looked everywhere and they seem to be all the same. Made in China! 

 

Until now, I have been hanging a few clothes out on a couple of free standing racks and a short line on the front porch. It wasn't enough space for all of the laundry but it helped. So nice to have the space to hang all of it now.

 

I have such a handy husband. The whole project was made with what we had on hand with the exception of the concrete & line. So, about 20 bucks got her done. Not the prettiest, but definitely functional.

 

I know that most people wouldn't think of laundry as an exciting thing to do but I really enjoy hanging it out. I especially like taking it down. It smells so nice and I take advantage of the time it takes to reflect. I usually wait till evening before the sun goes down. It is very peaceful. Call me crazy, but I love it.

 

Thanks honey!

 

YouTube

I know that I haven't been posting much to my blog lately. We have been outside working on the homestead every day. So much to get done! Since hubby has been here I am taking advantage of him. Many projects just need his expertise.

I have posted a couple of videos to YouTube finding it much quicker to do with the limited time that I have had in the house. My latest video is The Consequences of Over Grazing. You can view it by clicking the title.

My other videos are...

Homestead Beginnings

Growing Potatoes & Garlic in Hay

Layered No Dig Vegetable Gardening

I will try harder to get my posts up on the blog though. It is just a matter of setting aside the time. I'm still adjusting to our lifestyle change as well as wanting everything outside to be done NOW! It's a juggling act I'm still working out. I'll get there eventually.

In the mean time bear with me. I'll be posting to the blog and YouTube and will be posting links to both on the My Homesteading Project Facebook page.

Thanks for your patience.

As always, Like, Subscribe, Comment & Share please and Thank You!

Have a great evening!
Tina :)

Suprises, Sunburn & Honey Lemon

Greg & Kara (sorry guys, only photo of the 2 of you I could find)
 

We have been very busy here on the homestead! Our oldest son Greg & his girlfriend Kara drove out from WA to surprise us for Memorial weekend. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and were able to stay until Monday afternoon. It was so great to see him. We had a great couple of days. I was very sad to see him leave, but what can you do. Gotta let them go and live their own lives I guess. Just wish he wasn't 1000 miles away.

Over Memorial weekend, while the kids did some sight seeing, I decided to weed eat in front of the house again. You would never know by looking at it that I just did it a month ago. It was really overgrown already. The weather was beautiful and in the 70's so I thought that I would wear a tank top for about an hour to even out my skin. (I have a bit of a "farmers tan" thing going.) As you can probably guess, it was a little more than an hour when I went in to switch to a t-shirt. Too late! I was burnt to a crisp! Now my back is all itchy and peeling and just plane nasty looking. So much for evening out my color. I sure paid for that lapse of judgment!

Now for the super exciting news! We have our first official farm animal on the Stowers family farm. Say hello to Honey Lemon, our new goat!

Isn't she beautiful!!! I found the add on Craig's List for her and called immediately. I have been following a local blog and coincidently, she has Honey Lemon's sister Chamomile and just loves her. (Small world huh!) Chamomile just had triplets in April. Hopefully, Honey will too. A couple of doelings would suit me just fine. 

Honey Lemon is a 3yr old Alpine who is currently pregnant. I absolutely love her to death as does Eric & the kids. You would think that she was a family pet instead of a dairy goat. Honey just follows us around the property like a puppy. I love it when she comes up and nestles her head against me like she is giving me a hug! I feel so blessed to have been able to find such a great doe. Since we are just starting out with goats, it is fabulous that our very first one has such a great temperament.

We brought her home on Wednesday. I did feel a little bad taking her away though. The kids all came over to say goodbye and there were quite a few tears. I promised to take good care of her and love her. I'll make sure to send photos of the babies when they are born so that they can see that all is well. I know that is no consolation for a little girls broken heart though.

She rode home in the Suburban without a hitch. (Our truck is still in WA and I don't have a trailer.) Just stood there looking out the window the whole ride home. No "accidents" or issues. It was awesome. Once we arrived at the house, she made herself right at home. She likes hanging out in the garage with us. That way she is sure to get petted and brushed a lot. Honey has definitely adopted us as her family.

She did escape the barn a couple of times. Longer screws, bolts and better latches keep her in at night now. Each time our little Houdini escaped, she ran right over to the garage though to find us. Since hubby Eric practically lives in there we have had no issues.

Eric took her for a walk the other day on the dog leash to talk to Fred who's fields neighbor our property. It was a cute sight to see, both of them strolling down the gravel rode. Wish I had taken a picture. Priceless!

Over all, things are going great here. Lots of projects in the works. Eric has checked a few things off of his "Honey Do" list and I have gotten a few things done myself. We are living the good life here. I am so blessed!

Enjoy your life!
Tina