Happy Valentine kitties!!

Our cat Cleo had her first litter of kittens on Valentines Day! Three all white babies, they r too cute!  It was strange, she had the first one around 5 am and then a whole 13 hours later she gave birth to 2 more, which is very unlikely for so much time to pass in a cat delivery. But luckily they all are alive and healthy so far!! The boys are thrilled and I am glad they get to experience it! 
Cleo is being such a good momma cat and she is taking great care of her babies while purring all the time, she loves to show them  off , she's a proud momma.
Country livin has been such a fulfilling experience and everyday there is something new for my family to enjoy.
Our chickens have been laying a lot of eggs, and we have been selling them to family and friends, its a neat feeling be a part of something like raising them up from tiny chicks to producing eggs!!
I'm excited to plan our garden for the spring......and raise veggies and fruit ...I guess u could say to all of this to "fruition" :)

Homemade Rosemary Mint Fabric softner

I found this recipe on pinterest today and had to share, looks easy and will go great with my homemade laundry soap!! A friend of mine said she makes her own and it works great and costs only $1.50 a batch.
Anything to keep my grocery bill down and feel good about making it on my own!!
Homemade Fabric Softener Ingredients:
6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Rosemary Mint Conditioner
* Directions:
1. Mix water, vinegar, and hair conditioner in a 1 gallon container; stir. Do not shake it; it will cause foaming.
2. Use the same amount you normally use in a rinse cycle or spritz it on a wash cloth and throw in dryer.

Farm Fresh Eggs!!

Our hens have finally started laying, Jack found the very first egg on New Years Eve, and more and more each day after that. Now we are up to finding about 16 a day!! Atleast now maybe they can start making their keep,lol , hopefully we will make enough $ to buy their feed. Because they go through 50lbs a week! That gets costly. The boys have enjoyed going out to the coop and gathering eggs, each day we have a contest of  "who can guess the # off eggs today" Marcus seems to win a lot, he's a good guesser:)  I can actually say that we have enjoyed the chickens , all except the water freezing;)

Winter has set in......

The holidays are over and January is in full swing with weird weather. Not much snow yet, but I feel its coming. The boys are missing being able to be outside everyday and have enjoyed Netflix .....thank goodness for technology:)
Jack wanted to try going to public school so after much prayer and thought, we decided to let him, and as much as I miss homeschooling him, he loves his new school and all the new friends he's met, which makes it easier for me to except.
This is the first year having to feed and water chickens/animals in the cold......water spickets freeze:( what a inconvenience. Making sure the waterers stay unfrozen is another concern.....oh I am already ready for spring! Atleast we will have central air this summer, just got a new furnace and A/C in December!! Heating costs in the country are alot more expensive than in town with city utilities....who knew! Our utility bills are alot higher and we even are on a well!  But, I love it, so I pay it and go on:)
Now if we can get some more remodeling done on the house in these winter months we'll be doing good. We have the boys room to finish and then on to the BIG kitchen project.......that will be a major deal. I will make sure to post before , during and after of that.

CHICKENS ARE HHHEEEERRRREEEEE!!

The chickens arrived today and I must add at 6AM!!! Luckily hubby got up and went to pick them up leaving me comfortably in bed:) 
These chicks are just adorable! All black and one little exotic butterscotch colored one. We have 27 all together. I hope we are as excited 2 months from now as we all are now (doubtful, we know how quickly the newness wears off around here!) ! Pics to come.....................

A Change in Scenery and Just About Everything Else!

I have been so busy and completely neglected my blog this year!
 Since I posted last we have moved to the country (and love it), remoldeling our old farmhouse, the boys are almost another year older and I am now officially a "country fresh momma" at least that's my new altar ego I call myself, LOL. We have almost 5 acres to care for and no neighbors in sight, which we are thoroughly enjoying, esp the boys who have learned that peeing outside is just the best thing ever! I myself have learned to toughen up, since moving out here to the outer limits, I have encountered(and lived to tell about it) Spiders of all shapes, sizes and colors, a mouse that died in the walls (seriously, take rotten diaper smell to a new level and nothing helps mask it), Snakes galore(in which one I joyfully mowed to death), Ticks all over my children- hubby and I , mowing taking 3 hours(which i truly enjoy) Gardening for the 1st time, living on a gravel road and the dust which leaves my vanship dirty ALL the time:) , barn cats infested with fleas (and I mean infested), wild raspberry bushes (wonderfully delicious), a beautiful array of colorful birds, a big Pear tree I can't wait to try, a rabbit as a pet, smelly well water, a large branch of a tree falling on me during a storm (talk about life flashing in front of me!), NO pizza delivery, the smell of the hog farm behind us and most of all a peace that has come over me since the first time I layed my eyes on this homestead that I have fallen in love with and can't imagine raising my boys anywhere else on this earth-God IS good!!
 It is so gratifying watching the crops grow all around us, I have dreamed of being a country girl all my life!

Next week starts new adventures, as we are getting chickens to raise for the first time ever, I know, what are hubby and I thinking:) We are actually very excited, we have wanted chickens since the first thought of county livin' , and I mean country livin at its best:)  We ordered 25 Black Stars, they are supposed to be egg laying maniacs, bring on the fresh farm eggs baby! I am curious to see what I have to say this time next year about having chickens- I hope I can handle them!
I see mini farming in our future;)

We are starting our school year here at "The Fortner Christian Academy" the 22nd, Not only are we doing 7th grade but I am starting preschool for the 2 little guys. I am looking forward to adding that to the agenda, preschool is FUN! 

More to come..................................

Homeade Laundry soap recipe

Here is the recipe I was taught by a friend (thanks Lisa<3) and it works great is easy to make and save us alot of $$$!!!!!!!!!!!

Things you need to get:



•5 gallon bucket with a lid


•cheap cheese grater


•box of Borax


•package of ivory white bar soap


•box of washing soda(good luck finding it in Lebanon, had to go to brownsburg)


•small bottle of liquid detergent of your choice(this is optional, just for scent)


RECIPE:


1 qt water


2 C borax


2C washing soda


2 C or bars of ivory bars (grated)


Boil the qt of water and dissolve the ivory soap , stir until totally dissolved.


Poor into bucket, add the borax and washing soda, stir well, add the optional bottle of detergent, stir, add 2 gallons of hot water, stir, done, easy enough! Stir each time u use it, it may gel.


Enjoy !