The orchard beginnings

With so little space it took me a while to figure out the best place for our fruit trees. I've changed my mind a couple times. The place we're going with actually wasn't in the running most of the time. You see really we don't have the space for something like that UNLESS we clear some trees. Once I got over my mental block about cutting trees I can now see that we have some areas that can be used if we clear them. And then I realized that we had the perfect place for a mini orchard. Should there have been no trees it would have been the obvious place. You'll see better when I post the drawing of the land. But as you come in our driveway on the right hand side is this triangle wooded area that's between our driveway and side road. Or should I say WAY a wooded area. Woohoo!

Clay's started clearing the trees in the orchard area. Thankfully he spent a couple years logging in New Mexico cutting huge huge trees so he's more than comfortable cutting down trees. Me, not so much. Most are tall cedars like this one.
It's hard to see in this next one but there used to be tall trees all around him. There are a few trees on the border of the area Clay doesn't want to cut. He really hates losing trees. He wouldn't have agreed if it weren't for the fact that we're replacing with TREES of all things. But I'm trying to get him to get rid of the two big border trees so I can run the grape vines along the border instead. OH and the tip of the triangle that won't get any shade from the trees is going to have blueberries.
And of course the kids are excited now that there's a huge obstacle course of fallen trees to play on.

They won't be there long though. Clay and Frankie are clearing limbs, topping the trees and pulling the logs out. The big Cedar poles are going to be used for the goat barn we're building for the Spring and the smaller yet still fabulous tops of the poles will be used as some of the fence posts for the garden area.

I've been reading and reading about fruit trees and have to decide what we want to plant this Spring. What varieties, what sizes, what are best for Middle TN, etc. It all seems like such a big decision. But 4 years or so from now we'll be eating apples, peaches, cherries, plums, blueberries, and maybe grapes. I can't wait!

Days like these

Are what make getting up in the morning a pleasure. 

Days where in the middle of Winter it gets warm enough for babies to wear camo overalls with no shirt. 

Days where brothers and sisters delight in moments together.

Days where everyone pitches in and works together. 

Days where little people actually delight in their work. 

Thanks Lord for more of these days than the hard ones. 

Perfectionism on the homestead (and blog)

Since I can't access the other computer with the pictures on it I thought I'd tackle a subject that has been weighing on me lately. 

Perfectionism.

I suffer from a bad case of perfectionism. In every area of my life. If I can't do it the best I can I just don't do it. Whether that's losing weight, building a barn or wanting handmade thank you cards. It's never ending. The Lord has really been working on me in this. I need to take small steps. I either try and do everything all at once the best I can and the second that I don't keep all the balls in the air I throw the balls out the window and that's that. Or I just don't start at all. 

Nothing works out just the way you picture it in your head. I keep telling myself that.

So my garden isn't going to have perfect posts, it's going to have top of the trees sweet hubby cut down today as posts. Even better right? Better. We might not have the money for the dumptruck of soil Clay was going to get. I'll make our soil work. It's a chance to learn more about soil management. Clay wants to keep the weird floor in the "new" chicken coop. So, hooray for "new" chicken coops. So he wants to keep the two cedars on the side of the orchard. A little more shade than I'd like. So? Orchard. Here that? Yeah. Orchard. That rocks. I'm giving up and enjoying this whole thing. 

I'm not going to let projects go undone because they won't look like Jill Jones's perfect farm. Admit it. We all have in our mind's eye a picture of what a nice barn looks like. What a garden should look like, all of it. We do. Then reality hits and there's no way you can afford a giant red barn. Or an acre garden with the straight from Lowe's perfect fence. Blech. Who wants perfect anyways LOL! Okay scratch that. I do. But still... it wouldn't be OUR homestead if it looked like the Jones's right?

So we're starting! Our orchard area started today. I'm going to start clearing land for our barn area here soon too. Woohoo. Here's to starting. Something. Why not take a small step closer to the goal just  because you would rather run? One small step is closer than sitting on your rump waiting until you're ready to run. You never will be. Unless you get rich. Then all power to you. That'd be cool. 

OR... Enter perfectionism take TWO. Trying to do too much at once. I got a number of comments and emails (I need to turn my email back on. It's not there anymore for some reason) anyways I had a fair amount of interest in my homesteading list. Some said "woohoo that looks just like ours. I don't feel so bad anymore" and then there were some that went like this "why are you overwhelming yourself with all that? Start small" WELL the list IS starting small. It lets me see the little parts of the whole. If I don't take steps to see the small details I will in some things try and do it all. 50 chickens, 50  meat birds, 20 turkeys, 10 ducks,  10 geese, 4 goats, 4 pigs, all showing up in the Spring along with a huge huge garden and a greenhouse to build and... ACK. Makes you want to pull your hair out. And you will if you try and create the perfect homestead in a season. Or a perfect body. Or a perfect home. I've tried to do all of it. It doesn't work. Take small steps towards the goal. And enjoy them. They're creating your dream.

So I'm starting to take pictures for the grand mini homestead tour and a work in progress set of posts on homesteading when you don't seem to have the 200 acre homestead it seems so many out here in homestead blogland have. If you have any questions you want answered, email or leave it here in the comments. I just need to formulate a reason why it's SO important to get these pictures that Clay HAS to get on the roof and take some pictures for me. Send me those too. 

And those who dropped me a line recently, I'll be getting back to you soon. My mom came into town, so the week before was "getting the house ready for Mom coming to town mode" and now it's "Mom's in town mode". 

My least favorite thing about blogging

is resizing and uploading pictures. OH I just need to somehow add a little blog time into my schedule that's currently being written. Along with 100 other forms for me new homemaker binder. Post coming soon. Just showing you I'm still alive. 

Eye-opening.

I read this today and it really spoke to me. 

"If you only have "X" amount of space, NO amount of organizing is going to make your "Y" amount of stuff fit in your "X" space."

You're Welcome.

Menu for this week

Monday

B – 

· Kids – Toast (sick kiddos)

· Mom – 2/3 cup steel cut oats, 3 egg omelet with few leaves spinach, raw onions and raw tomatoes

S – 

· Kids –  play this by ear to see who’s sick. Probably sliced apple

· Mom - cottage cheese and baby carrots

L –

· Kids – Buttered rice

· Mom – 3 slices flax bread with turkey, cheese, raw onions, tomatoes

S -  

· Kids – hardboiled eggs if not sicky tummies

· Mom - half a grapefruit with a hardboiled egg half a grapefruit with a hardboiled egg

D – 

· Family - tacos

· Mom -  soft tacos

Tuesday

B – 

· Kids - Oatmeal

· Mom - – 2/3 cup steel cut oats, 3 egg omelet with few leaves spinach, raw onions and raw tomatoes

·

S – 

· Kids – half a grapefruit and hardboiled egg

· Mom – Deviled eggs with baby carrots on side

L –

· Kids – Small salad with beans, rice

· Mom - Chicken Salad over romaine lettuce

S -  

· Kids – little applesauce

· Mom – cottage cheese and applesauce

D – 

· Family – Lentil soup with bread

· Mom – lentil soup, small bowl with a side salad

Wednesday

B – 

· Kids - Oatmeal

· Mom - – 2/3 cup steel cut oats, 3 egg omelet with few leaves spinach, raw onions and raw tomatoes

S – 

· Kids – glass milk with molasses

· Mom – celery with peanut butter and measured out raisins

L –

· Kids – lentil burgers

· Mom – lentil burger lettuce wraps

S -  

· Kids - 

· Mom – flax crackers with a little mashed feta and slice spinach

D – 

· Family – Spaghetti (chicken breast for Clay, small salad for Clay, kids if enough)

· Mom – chicken breast cooked in sauce, broccoli, tiny bit pasta

Thursday

B – 

· Kids - Oatmeal

· Mom - – 2/3 cup steel cut oats, 3 egg omelet with few leaves spinach, raw onions and raw tomatoes

S – 

· Kids - 

· Mom – cheese and carrots from van

L –

· Kids - Sonic

· Mom – Bunless double cheeseburger

S -  

· Kids - 

· Mom - 

Quickly...

Just a quick post. I daresay it's not easy to get back in the swing of blogging regularly. I definitely am not in the habit of doing it. I'll be back in the next few days with a couple new posts and if Clay doesn't have to work Sunday I'll get him up on the roof to take some pictures and we'll do the grand homestead tour. And an unhealthy recipe that will knock your socks off. And something about the holidays makes you just want to take a break doesn't it?

Here's a few pictures of sweet baby Garrison to tide you over. Two are for my mom. Hey mom! She gets a kick out of them doing "Angry Eyebrows". And of course I couldn't leave you without a smiling pic of the dude. Wouldn't want you thinking he's a grump. (though he kind of IS a grump!) Oh and ignore what looks like baby cleavage in picture number two. Don't know what THAT is about!!~ Night people.