The Journey Begins Part 4 and Final

Howdy!

The fall came and we decided to put our house on the market.  What was the worst that could happen?  My husband was looking for a job in IT in a good sized city, the houses in our neighborhood were selling FAST, and we would be able to leave it all behind and move to the country.  A reasonable assumption........right?

Thankfully our house in Houston was still young, not too many repairs, with the exception of an eyesore of a tree that was literally falling apart.  So, hubby and some of the older kids took it down and cut it up.  Too bad we don't have a use for firewood in deep Texas.

After a flood of showings and a couple of contracts on our house that fell through, hubby got antsy and rented the biggest truck he could find, and he and some dear friends filled the truck and our trailer and we were off.  Taking (almost) all of our worldly possessions with us.  I didn't know I had so much stuff...

We still didn't stay, but came back to Houston to spend the holidays in town and with family and friends.  We did make a quick trip in November to check on things.  And were excited about the actual "fall" that we don't get down south.  The pastures were brown and the trees were leafless, but it was still beautiful.

The hay barn was full from the summer's cutting, and that is exactly where I found my kids.  All the time.  I drew the line at eating and sleeping up there.  Although, not a terrible idea!

When my husband discovered he had several vacation days left for the year, we all agreed, we wanted to spend Christmas on the farm.  And we also agreed, that despite our frequent trips to the farm, we never really had the time to start and finish a project.  Or to unpack and sort through boxes.  Our visits lasted 2 or 3 days at a time.  Not enough to get things done!  The garage was stuffed full of boxes from our October move, and the workshop was in desperate need of a good cleaning so we could store tools.  So, hubby took all of us up, stayed a couple of days and headed home to work with the intent to come back at the end of the week.  I was without him for a week.  And THIS time.......I stayed.

Of course we cut a Christmas tree from our land.  As much as I hate cedar trees, they are useful once a year.

The big Christmas gift, a 4 wheeler.  Which has come in handy for work, as well as has been a blast to ride around the property on.  And through very little prodding, we even got my 90 year old mother-in-law on the thing and showed her around!

We did take it easy for some Christmas time, but otherwise, we worked all day, every day.  In the 2 and a half weeks were were there, almost every single box was emptied, the workshop cleaned and stocked with hubby's tools, the attic was floored for storage, and we were easily able to clean, sort, and organize.  And there's still so much to do!

I also found the time to spend a couple of afternoons in the pasture, collecting aged black gold to start as a compost in my garden bed.  Oh yes, and I set up my garden spot, complete with TWO compost bins!  There's nothing like poop and rotting food...

From this post on, I will excitedly begin my actual journey on the farm!  Looking forward to sharing my upcoming garden, livestock, home renovations, and much more!

The Journey Begins Part 3

Summer arrived and our first cutting of hay.  The neighbors cut our hay field before we came in for our monthly visit.  I didn't know hay bales could be so exciting and beautiful.  Yep, I have been countrified...

The summer also brought our first visitors.  We had some friends driving back to Houston from farther north and we were somewhat on their route home.  We had a lot of fun taking it easy and visiting for a couple of days, as well as gathering lots of blackberries!  They were all over the place, but in June, there were still many not quite ripe.

I think the highlight of the trip was our nightly showing of lightening bugs.  They were amazing.  For some, that's not a big deal, but for us, raised in the city and all the big lights, loved sitting outside in the dark with the quiet glow all around us.  The simple life doesn't get any better than that.

The following month, we took my nephew with us.  And there were still plenty of blackberries left to add some fun.  And for once, it was HOT.  Thankfully not humid, but the heat index on one of the days reached 115 degrees.  Yikes!   My husband had planted several fruit trees in the spring and spent a few days on this trip, adding cages and staking them for added stability and protection.

Also, my husband officially began looking for a job in the nearest big city.  With each month that went by, with no job offers, we tried to stay positive and not be discouraged, but that's not always easy.  We were in love with the farm, and were so ready to commit to being there full time.  Looking back over the months, I can see where it has been a blessing we didn't move before now, and we always looked forward to the next trip and what work we could get done.  Not always ideal, but it helped keep our focus...

Every time we visited, there were one or two new calves.  Talk about cute...!

The longer we've been on the farm, the more we learn about our land and about our neighbors.  Let's say, we've been blessed beyond measure.  Back in the spring, a gentlemen involved in raising the cows on our land, stopped in to chat.  We have learned so much from him and always look forward to his dropping by!  He identified all of the trees around our house, little did we know we had a mature apple tree, cherry trees, and a couple of pecan trees!  We figured out we had a peach tree in the yard, but not so many others!  Late summer brought some of the best tasting apples I've ever had.  Could be the land.........the variety........or the fact that it came from my own place.  It's always better when you do it yourself.

Part 4 coming soon!

The Journey Begins Part 2

So, in April, my husband had the great idea for the children and myself to stay for a couple of weeks and work on the house and garden.  With two large, packed to the max trailers, we carted half the contents of our house to the farmhouse.  Hubby stayed for a few days to help us get started.  We planted fruit trees and did some more painting and cleaning out of the house.  The previous owner had left a lot of "stuff" behind.  Big furniture items and just plain trash.  It was a lot of work cleaning up after that guy.  And when I tell you the house needed some updating, I wasn't kidding...

Little did we know, on this particular trip, we had a stowaway.  We had driven a good 300 miles, tarps covering our loads, and rain pelting us off and on along the way, only to discover our cat tucked in among the boxes.  Seriously, have you ever traveled with a cat?  Not something I was looking forward to.  She was so scared, and thankful to get inside the cab of the truck where it was warm and dry!  A more grateful cat I never did see.  On the trip back to Houston, she was not so thankful...

I would love to proudly tell you that when my husband left, with the plans to come back to the farm in two weeks, I stayed the whole of it and got tons and tons done.  But within 48 hours after he had gone, I was in the van, kids, dogs, and trailer in tow heading home to Houston.  BIG chicken.  Bok, bok, bok....  Aside from missing my husband, I was lonely.  Even with a houseful of children, I knew no one up there, was unfamiliar with the territory, and realized that all of my friends and family were 500 miles away.  Depressed and feeling isolated, I caved.  Didn't see that coming...

We did get quite a lot done before I crumbled.

As for the garden, it was far more difficult than I had imagined.  The current raised bed was held in place by railroad ties.  A great idea if you're not concerned about toxic chemicals leaching into your vegetables.  But guess what?  They are impossible to move!  I consider myself a fairly sturdy person.  But no match for a railroad tie.  And one that was rotting at that!  Rolling them away from the beds worked.  But I couldn't roll them far enough away and they were still in the vicinity of my garden.  And I didn't want them around at all!

I did the best I could at moving the ties out of the way, and then filled in their gaps with cinder blocks.  The bed was still soft enough to work the tiller.  The row garden, on the other hand, was hard, had become compacted, and full of weeds.  No way was my little tiller going to break that up.  It appeared that the previous garden area hadn't been worked in a few years.  And as much as I believe in a no-till method, initially a tiller would be useful to make the soil workable.

The cows joined us in April and May.  Lots of mamas, and as the spring and summer months passed, we were introduced to many of the babies.  They were one of the highlights of this journey. Especially since we had sold off all of our livestock and my children were still missing them!

The cows don't seem to give much of a care about us, barely give us the time of day, but stand for pictures.  They do love Molly.  Tiny, self-confident, smallest member of the household, Molly.  She would venture into the pasture and the cows would follow her about.  Noses to the ground, going wherever she led.

When we went back to the farm, after my solitary failure, the Lord blessed us once again.  I had been feeling so isolated and alone, and so far away from what I knew as normal.  A stranger in a strange land.  But in May, my neighbor called me up and said she was going into town and was going to pick me up to show me around.  She not only showed me around, but introduced me to several key members of our little town.  With each visit, I felt more and more comfortable and confident and thankful for what the Lord had done.  I then began to not want to go back to Houston ever.  And would tear up at the thought of leaving my farm.

Rainbows seem to be frequent on the farm.  God is good.

Part 3 next time...

The Journey Begins, Part 1

When we first began seriously looking for a farm, we had decided on exactly what we wanted.  We made a list, prayed about it, and asked for wisdom and discernment.  And because we are such a large family, our realtor was trying to help us find land with a large home, but for all of us, it was more about the space outside than inside.

We prayed for land that was healthy, that would house a variety of livestock, plenty of room for planting fruit trees, a garden, and grazing space.  Most importantly, a water source.  Well, the Lord gave us more than we asked for......we have four water sources.  There is a nice creek with a spring head on the land, which we weren't even aware of until after we bought the place!  Truly a blessing.

We also knew we wouldn't be able to move there permanently for some time.  So what to do with all of the pasture land and hay field?  A few weeks after we purchased, a neighbor contacted us to see if he could lease our property to graze his cattle and cut hay.  Ummmmm.....yes!  So the worry of maintenance while we weren't residents was taken care of!  Plus the neighbors were there throughout the week checking on the cows, which generated some action and made it appear our land was occupied.  Again, another blessing!

The home itself was in good shape, as far as structurally, but it did need some updating and repair.  The previous owners were smokers, which was an issue with me as I have a high sensitivity to cigarette smoke.  Plus, as a non-smoker, I didn't really want my house to smell like I was one!  We spent several days at the farm house pulling up carpet.  It's bare concrete now, which we plan to stain and seal.  A home in the country with several children, animals, and lots of dirt doesn't seem to pair well with carpet!  Also, we painted kilz in every. single. room.  Ceiling, walls, everything that could be painted, was painted.  This kilz is supposed to seal out odors.  But we had apply the kilz and wait three weeks before painting a regular coat of paint.

So back to Houston we went and then again to the farm three weeks later to paint every ceiling and wall in the house.

I'm sick of painting.

We still had a bit of a smokey smell at times, but I finally realized it was in the wood.  Murphy's Oil Soap did the trick.  It's natural, non-toxic, and smells like oranges.  Nice and clean.  I cleaned all of the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms.  It made a huge difference.  And I think the last very small hint of smoke we smell is in the concrete, which sealing the floor should help!

Probably the most difficult repair we encountered was the discovery of a pipe that had burst thanks to the previous owner not turning the water off even though we were assured the water was indeed off by three different individuals.  Sigh.  Thankfully, it was in the mud room and ran through the garage to the outside.  We do have to replace some of the sheet rock.  And when my husband repaired the pipe, he put in an additional valve so we can add a deep utility sink later.  Gotta make lemonade out of lemons......right?

Part 2 coming soon...

A True Homestead Journey

For years, my husband and I have been searching for a piece of land where we could become more sustainable, practice land management methods the way the Lord designed, grow more of our food supply, and raise our children.  In January of 2015, the first part of our dream came true.  God led us to a perfect place for us.  An older farmhouse, lots of land, beautiful pastures, and even a small creek.  He provided and we were able to purchase our farm!  

We have been working on the place for the last year.  Planting trees, updating the house, starting a garden spot, cleaning out, packing, etc....

It has been a very long and tedious journey with much more to come.  The distance between our home at the time, and our new home was 500 miles.  For a year, we drove to the farm, would stay for a few days, and then very reluctantly come back to our home in the big city.  There were many frustrations and tears, but so many joyous moments.

I will tell you more in later posts, but I wanted to introduce you to our farm.  Where I'll be sharing our real-life journey literally from the ground up.  Everything I have learned, I will have to re-learn due to a new climate and terrain, and a on much bigger scale!  But I am anxious and excited!

Our cozy farmhouse.

My backyard.

Borrowed cows in my backyard.

More borrowed cows.

The view from my front porch.

My children playing in the yard.

More playing.

So. much. playing.

My dog.  I never know what he's doing.

I am truly grateful for what the Lord has given us.  And I pray daily that He will empower us with wisdom in managing it all.  I don't want to make any mistakes.  At least none that I can't learn from.  Or step out of His will.  From every part of what we grow to raising our animals and teaching our children, I pray God gets the glory and we remain teachable and thankful.

Stick around, there will be more to come!

God Made A Farmer

This Dodge commercial was featured during the Superbowl last night.  I didn't watch the Superbowl, but the commercial circulated around Facebook many times over since it aired.  When I first watched it, I fell in love with it.  I even teared up.

But then I watched it again.  And again, and as much as the narrative was moving and powerful, the pictures were emotional for me in a completely different sense.



The first time I watched the commercial, I listened more than watched.  The second time, I showed it to my husband, asked him excitedly "Have you seen this?!!!" he said "Yes, and it's great, but it's not really our kind of farming...."  Ummmm.....what?  So I watched it again.

At the risk of sounding nit-picky...

The video totally glorified the industrial farmer.

Oh, how I wish instead of field after field and row after row of corn, they had instead chosen farm after farm of family raised produce, free-range eggs, greenhouses full of seedlings, farmers sitting at a stand inside a farmer's market selling their blood, sweat, and tears to the local community, instead of a farmer selling his soul to the government.

I had to wonder......is that corn genetically modified?  Does this farmer know the environmental wound he has created by plowing down acres of land in it's natural state only to be regenerated by GM corn and soybean seeds, followed by an ample dousing of fertilizers and pesticides?  Does he realize the years of damage his soil has undergone?  Does he know his land is completely depleted of all of its natural minerals in order to accommodate his easygoing farming methods only to be supported by a government subsidy?

I fell for it.  My emotions were tugged on and I was so very easily sucked in.

There were no struggles with the USDA or the FDA.  No issues with zoning or destroyed freedoms or dashed hopes and dreams.  No SWAT team invading a family owned poultry farm destroying all of their products.  Where was the picture of the real American farmer?

When someone asks you what you do, do you tell them you're a farmer?  I promise their next question is this, "What do you raise?"  They expect to hear you say that you raise corn or soybeans.  No one expects you to say, "I farm a sustainable homestead fully capable of feeding my entire family and local community, powered by my own two hands, and my livelihood and success rests on hard work and the Lord's blessings."  Try that next time and see what happens...

That being said, I loved the tribute.  And I respect farmers of all makes and models.  Anyone who is strong enough to wear the title "farmer" and endure the criticism and ridicule that goes along with it, has earned the respect.  I just don't to be confused with those who have sold out to freedomless government funding and rest in a false sense of security.

But honestly, the commercial still makes me tear up.........

Film Reviews on Gardening & Farming

If you have a passion for gardening, you have to see Back to Eden.  Our family first watch this film last summer, and have seen it twice more since then.  It's a bit long, but well worth the watch.  Back to Eden is a man's journey to raising crops by mimicking the natural cycle of plant life the way God created.  He found himself working entirely too hard in his vegetable garden and decided that surely there was an easier, more natural way to grow healthy plants.  The Lord showed him how plant life in its natural state is preserved, fed, kept moist, and disease free.  It really is a must see, and you can watch it free here.

Fresh is fantastic.  My children enjoyed this movie and learned so much.  Fresh shows a realistic parallel between factory raised meat animals, and free range farm raised animals.  The treatment of these animals from the time they are born until the time they are butchered and processed is vastly different.  There are many good reasons why we grow our own vegetables and find a reputable farm to buy our meat and milk from.  This movie will prove that fact to you.  Fresh is available for instant viewing on Netflix

Honestly, Farmageddon will make you angry.  It did me, anyway.  This movie documents the events of various farmers who experienced a "government intervention".  The powers that be, literally came in, for no true reason, and destroyed these families' livelihoods.  In one story, the family home was invaded by officials with their weapons drawn, another had their livestock taken away and destroyed for a disease that didn't exist, and another family had all of their milk confiscated and dumped out.  They are all true stories and all heartbreaking.  How the rulers of our "free" country are allowed to destroy the small farmer, without cause, is tragic.  Farmageddon is also available for instant viewing on Netflix.

The Power of Suggestion

As you know, we've been very impatient waiting on our first eggs.  The hens were laying before we brought them home, but somewhere in the transition and settling them into a new environment, they decided to go on strike.

My husband had suggested we put fake eggs into their hen house, hoping that the power of suggestion may encourage the hens to lay.  I laughed thinking he was joking, but he wasn't.  Then a reader on my Facebook page suggested the same thing.  The moment I shared that information with my husband, he was off to find a counterfeit egg.

A trip to Hobby Lobby resulted in a purchase of four ceramic eggs, and my husband's quest was gratified.

We placed the four eggs in four different boxes.

As I was exiting the hen house, there were four hens just staring at me.  They're curious creatures.  They immediately hopped in to check out the eggs.

The only thing we found on Sunday was one of the hens sitting on a phony egg.  

Then, yesterday as I was taking some kitchen scraps out to the pen, I figured, what the heck, I'll take a look, and sure enough...

Honestly, I don't know that I thought this idea would work.  Although I can't tell you how excited I am to get my first egg and the feelings of joy over adding to our means of self-sufficiency.

Thank goodness these chickens are easily fooled.