Feed

   We love our feed store! Jeremy and I are on a first name basis with all the guys that work there! We are there a lot! From chickens, to feed. dog food, pig feed. Jeremy feels at home there...(because they all have beards!) They are all great guys!( I actually want a boy that works there, to marry Anna :) I think you step back in time when you live in a small town. We love Whitehall and Montague! We have the best community, neighbors, beaches, parks and biking trails! The only bad part about living in a small community is, everyone knows you. And the best part is, everyone knows you! :)

Tri- County Feed

Moving Plants

    Today is the big day! I have been planting, watering, hoping and praying(if you know me, you know why). My little plants are headed to the greenhouse! This is HUGE for me! My Mom
-in-law has given me countless cuttings and splits from her house plants... I have killed them all!

This is the beginning

This is 2 weeks ago!

I can grow anything outside but inside... NOTHING! I have over 400 plants started. I started tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, leeks, flowers, cabbage, spinach, rosemary, chives and about 5 or 6 other things! I can't remember them all! But LOTS of plants!!!!

Our lifestyle through my (Anna's) eyes

       To me, I wouldn't live any other way, even if I had a choice. I love having chickens running around in the yard. Sometimes finding a few surprise eggs here and there, never having a chance to sit down for hours, because we are so busy. Getting BAD sunburns from being in the garden weeding, picking, or planting, and in the fall, the rush to chop wood, butcher animals, and get the house, animals, and yard ready for winter. I've never, not once, lived in house where my family has never had a garden every single year. We've had good and bad luck but in the end, I feel really blessed to have this lifestyle, our animals, and an amazing and very caring family that always looks out for each other. I'm in 8th grade but still can't figure out what I want to do later in life, take care of people (assisted living) or take care of animals (on-the-go vet). The lifestyle I live helps me out with both things, watching out for each other and our neighbors and if I want to be a vet I take care of my animals for example, when we lost one of our ducks she was very dehydrated and had a broken wing when we found her somewhere on our property I had my brothers grab a tray of water and some cereal, I grabbed her and slowly walked back to the coop where her "family" was. I nursed her back to health with the help of my family. Anyways, my point is, I wouldn't ever want to live any other way.  Love, Anna.

Tech Support

  So... I (Jess) am doing this blog, for our family projects. I don't know how to do this! I download pictures, and I can't find them back! It takes hours to find them! If my laptop was not new, I would have tossed it on the floor (please don't ask Jeremy about our remotes and cell phones. I have issues!) I throw things when I am angry, hungry, or frustrated... Back to my topic... What was it again... Oh, tech support! I have been writing contracts for the pigs and chickens we are going to raise  this spring. It is not easy for me! At all! I am not good with it!
  This is a look into my afternoon: "Anna! Anna!", "What Momma?!", "I don't know what I'm doing!" (Both of us sigh). "I will help you."says Anna. She does help, but 20 minutes later... "Anna! Anna!" (We both sigh again).  This is repeated several times! And guess what? I still don't get it! Thanks for your help Anna!!!!! Love you!

Lost and Found

   We had a CRAZY day Sunday! We discovered that our baby chicks coop door(they are 10 weeks) had been left open! We found 3 dead hens, and 4 missing, along with 2 ducks! It was sad! We all searched the yard and woods. We found nothing! We have several fox and coyotes that are around our neighborhood. So we figured that is what got them. :(  
    The little boys were out in the woods about 6 hours later that day, and found a duck! They came running into the kitchen yelling " Mom! Mom! We found her!".They found the duck in our pasture. She was beaten up, dirty, dehydrated, hungry and had a broken wing :( We brought her back to the coop and gave her water and food. It has been 6 days, and she is doing great! A few hours later, that same day, Anna found a hen! Her tail feathers were torn off, but other than that, she was in good condition! We gave her water and food, and she is doing great also!  We lost some, but we found some! So goes life in the country. This is a pic of when we first got them.

Family

 

Sam, Anna and Chewy

 

 

                                                         Jeremy. He looks mean, but he is not!

 

Anna

 

 

Me (Jess)

                                                                             Elijah

Vegan Pea Soup

I LOVE pea soup!!!!! I have a Dutch heritage, and you can not be Dutch, and not like pea soup! This is my take on it. Its really good! It makes a lot of soup, but I am raising a bunch of pigs! Their names are, Sam, Anna, Elijah and Chewy!!!! I make almost everything from scratch. (its a full time job!!) All my kids love this soup! I like to know what I am feeding my kids. That's why we garden, and raise animals. This is what Anna requests for her Birthday almost every year!

PEA SOUP

*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 large onion, diced
*3 potatoes, diced
*2 lb. dried split peas
*8 C. water
* salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Than it is eating time! It is healthy, full of fiber! It is really good!

Making Progress

 We are up to over 300 plants planted!!!!! They are growing like crazy! If you now me, you know that's a real accomplishment for me!! I can grow outside, but inside..... :/ not so much! I have killed MANY houseplants over the last 16 years, when Jeremy and I married! Like LOTS!!!! LOTS!!! Every time I bring home a sweet little plant, my Husband shakes his head and all he says to me is " Oh Honey".  My kids say "Oh Mom, not another one". Well this year I am proving to them, that I CAN do it! Take that family! In your face!!!!! I am doing it! ( BTW please pray for my seedlings, cuz if they die after this rant, I will NEVER hear the end of it!) Never!

A New Wood Shed

We have built ( and by we, I mean Jeremy and our oldest, Sam.) We repurposed found  lumber, and a few new lumber products, to create this! In a few weeks we are planning on making a "living roof" of herbs and flowers on top. That's the plan... We will see if that actually happens this year! Maybe next! I think it will be so cute and very practical! My super talented Husband, Jeremy, designed it! We primarily heat with wood. We are going to need around 9 cords of wood to heat our 1600 sq. ft. home. A cord of wood is 4 ft. high x 4 ft. wide x 8 ft. long. Yea, lots of work! Lots of stacking, splitting, cutting, sometimes a few fights:/ But we all work together as a family! Some more than others! Just like in all families, we all have our strengths and weaknesses!

 

Boots

In our family we lovingly refer to our rubber boots as "Poop boots"! :) My Anna's boots cracked open this spring. She used her Dads duct tape to fix it herself! Country girl! We love our boots!!!!