Update

Whoa its been a while. But that always happens. We are enjoying our new home and new location so much. I hate that we like it so much, seeing as how we are still in California. And things are only beginning to get worse. But onto happier things. Here at this house we haven't been focusing as much on becoming self reliant like we did at our last place. Right now we are sown to five chickens and a horse. And we all know horses are big black money holes. So last wknd we did get a beautiful pair of meat rabbits. Meat rabbits are such a great thing to have because they don't eat or drink much, but in an emergency, they can breed, have a ton of babies and you can then have months of rabbit meat. Rabbit meat is lean, full of protein and very low in cholesterol. Now if only it tasted a little better! So we want to build up our chicken supply. Mostly dual purpose chickens that can lay and be good meat chickens. Our plan is to have about 15 of each. Them when the meat chickens come of size, we spend a day butchering and processing them. And wallah! Tons of chicken in the freezer. Also need a rooster so that we can replenish our supply. We also sold my beloved sweet heiffer, Molly. She was such a sweet cow and we loved her. And SHE LOVED US! BUT looking at it in a sustainable way, she wasn't even pregnant yet. I'd we got her pregnant, it would be another 11 months before she had a baby, then we'd be getting 8 gallons of milk a day. Hello! Also, in a pinch, cows go through a ton of water and food. If we had an area for her to roam, it would be different. We do have 6 acres here, but we didn't have the means right away to section a couple acres off for pasture. And finally, we are getting a garden area ready for a winter garden. We bought TONS of great heirloom seeds from a sees co online last year so we are set with being able to grow our own food. Also important is out water supply. We have a well that runs off of electricity and if need be we can jimmy it up to a generator when times get tough. We also have a 10,000 gallon holding tank full of water and we have 2 550 gallon water tanks that we are constantly refilling with fresh water. Now we just need to get off the map! Wahaha. Here are a few pics in no particular order from recent months. SH

Stop fighting!

So I think I'm ready for this summer to come to an end. Or, just ready for school to start. Maybe because we've been home a lot, but the boys are at each others throats. For a couple weeks there it was so bad. They were constantly yelling at each other. I mean, I'm sure its nothing abnormal, but I definately needed to do something. So I invented the amazingly creatively named, "The stop fighting jar"!  Its pretty simple, if the boys want to fight, they can work. There are several slips of paper in the jar with various chores written on each slip. So, the boys get one warning, and if they keep fighting after that, they get to each pick a chore out of the jar. Simple....And Effective! And now that I think about it, they haven't had to pick out of the jar in a few days so I'm pretty sure something got through to them!

Raw local honey

I have fallen in love with raw local honey. This year it is Alfalfa honey from Coachella. A lady from school gets it per gallon from a guy. Last year I gave all my beautiful honey away in decorated jelly jars for Christmas favors. So this time, I got two gallons just to be safe! I love local honey. It is great for allergies and it is healing during the sicko months of winter colds... And I appreciate bees so much after I have learned how efficient and hard working they are... Save the bees!

Homesteader

Well I had no idea how homemakey I had become until I caught myslef literally in the middle of this in planned picture moment.
I was making almond milk while my homemade bread cooled on the counter while drinking a fresh veggie juice... All while wearing my lime green overalls, barefoot in the kitchen of my double wide! Hahaha.

Family campout

So we went on a little very last minute family campout this summer. We hiked our gear in about a mile, set our tent up in the middle of a huge open field. Then we went exploring, ate dinner over our little gas stove. Hank got to come with us! And we were the only ones camping there so it was cool being all out in the open totally alone. The boys did so good carrying all their stuff to and from the campsite...
And, Nathan just tops everything off with pure fun and enjoyment. He makes things easy, chill, and happy. Thank you Daddy!

The beach

So when Chad and Allyson were here, they took a couple days to stay at Carlsbad beach. Chad asked me if I was always at the beach since I only live about an hour away. I said, in total shock, "No. I'm not at the beach all summer." So I've made a point to take the kids to the beach a lot this summer. It's actually been cool because I've had the luxury and confidence to take the kids by myself instead of feeling like I have to go with Nathan. The boys are older too, it makes it easier...

Chad and Allyson

This summer, my brother and his wife came to visit. They ha e two boys, each a little older than my boys. We all had a great time. Their oldest, Walker, is very artistic. He was actually more into his own things, while my boys played with Noah. This was definately a case of city meets country. Thanks for making us a part of your summer, Chad and Allyson!
Take note that Noah and Charley look like twins! Also, Charley LOVES Chad. It was soo cute, Charley would always cuddle up to him.