Finding Joy In The Journey

Turning A Tree Into Fuel

2012-01-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

We have had some pretty amazing weather here in Michigan during December and January, unseasonably warm and sunny. That would be why I've been outside enjoying, instead of blogging about what we are doing. LOL We have been enjoying the open winter and hiking through the woods before the snows make it difficult but we've also been using our time wisely and catching up on our wood supply for next year. We may be hooked up to the grid BUT we still heat and cook with good old fashioned fire wood.

When the boys are off from work, they pitch in and help us here on the homestead. Here is Tyler falling his first tree. He is learning from the best tree cutter east of Lake Michigan! LOL Honestly, my husband can read a tree and make it fall exactly where he wants it.:-) I am hoping he shares some of that talent with our boys.

Once the tree is on the ground then we take all the brush off from it. That job usually falls to the girls or myself.

Some of the time we leave the brush in piles throughout the woods for small game to live in and other times we burn it. This time we decided to burn the pile. Naomi is loving on her favorite chicken while Levi has the job of getting the brush pile going.

Dad gets the job of cutting the tree into pieces. He isn't quite ready to relinquish that job to the boys.;-)

Then comes my favorite part, the big pieces need to be split. I LOVE to split wood so I dabble in it while the guys are busy cutting and hauling.

The boys can split circles around me.;-) We all pitch in to get the job done.

All in a days work. You know what they say about wood, it warms you twice.

The boys do a lot of the hauling of the cut/split wood to the wood pile to be stacked. When there is snow on the ground the girls and I help by pulling it on sleds but pushing that heavy wheel barrow, is just a bit much for us.

Good thing we cut wood when we did because shortly after, winter finally found us. The temperatures have plummeted and the north woods now lays buried under several inches of cold, wet snow. Thankfully, we have plenty of wood to keep us warm during this cold, snowy winter.

The First Snow of the Season

2011-11-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

The first snow of the season has come to the north woods. What a beautiful morning, BUT I am glad it won't be staying quite yet.:-)

Progress!!

2011-11-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

We are making some BIG progress here on the homestead! When we built this place over 12 years ago, we couldn't afford to put utilities into the place so we decided having a roof over our heads was FAR more important than the luxuries. Now, let me clarify one thing, we haven't lived here on the homestead consecutively for the last 12 years. We've lived here 3 different times for a total of about 3 years. During those 3 years we've made small improvements, like an electric well pump and small generator, electric lights, gas stove, etc. BUT this time around we finally have the funds to bring electricity back to us here in the north woods and we are putting running water into the house along with a septic tank!! Which means we will FINALLY have a flush potty and running water at our sink, bathtub and I will have a washing machine!! Whoot!!! I think I am excited about the washing machine MORE then anything!

Since we didn't want a 30 foot runway running through our woods, we decided to bring power back to us underground. The electric company makes it look mighty easy.

Here they are setting our transformer. Some of you are probably wondering WHY with the high cost of utilities would we want to hook up to the grid? Well it's like this, with the amount of gas we are putting through our generator, the cost of doing laundry in town for a family our size and propane for our refrigeration, it will actually be about half the cost for us to pay an electric bill. It has been our desire from the start to install alternate energy sources BUT in our research we've found those systems to be more expensive and not all that economical to run in the long run SO here we are, grid users.:-)

So close and almost done!

We were blessed with an electric pole that had all the bells and whistles already attached.

This is a VERY beautiful thing to me! We've proven that a family of 8 CAN live off grid without many of the conveniences that most American families live with BUT we will ALL be most thankful to have a normally functioning home here in the north woods.

Look at that, a brand new electric meter!!

While the electric company was doing their job, we also had Bushen Well Drilling busy on our septic tank!

Ground breaking for the drain field.

Drain field ready for the gravel.

I never realized how much time and skill went into building a septic tank.

We had so many big trucks coming in and out of our driveway, I'm not sure it's ever going to be the same.:-) Thankfully I wasn't home the day they were bringing the big gravel trucks in and out. It makes me nervous watching them turn around in our driveway without hitting fences our trees.:-) They did a GREAT job though and didn't hit a thing.

Laying the stone and pipes for the drain field.

Ken and Josh shoveling.

Lots of friendly chatter going on while they were working.

Ground breaking for the actual septic tank.

I sure am glad they are experts at operating their equipment since they were so close to our house! ;-)

I wasn't able to get pictures the evening that they set the tank but let's just say, I tried NOT to watch. But they did another GREAT job and didn't hit our house.:-)

Today they finished running the pipe to the house. Tomorrow the inspector will come, hopefully give us a green light and then they will begin covering everything up. I should have finished pictures soon! Next step is for Ken to get all of our drain pipes and water pipes and get busy running them to the septic tank and to our faucets. SOON, we should have everything up and running. I will certainly keep you updated.:-)

Apple Picking

2011-09-19T20:34:00.001-04:00

Recently our family was blessed with the opportunity to pick some free apples. So we invited some friends along and enjoyed picking some delicious fruit.

This is an old orchard that is unsprayed and unkept but we were MORE then happy to pick. The apples may not be perfect BUT they make awesome apple sauce and apple butter!

It was a BEAUTIFUL Michigan morning.

We had to include a picture of the "forbidden fruit". LOL There was just a small road that separated the unsprayed orchard from the sprayed orchard. We were informed before we started picking, DO NOT touch the green apples, the orchard owner will charge you $5 for each apple you eat! ;-) Since they were so close, so pretty and such a temptation, thus the name!

The children were climbing the trees like monkeys. Guess we didn't need the ladder after all! ;-)

There were apples at everyone's picking height, even the little people.

Some of our bounty.

The homesteader and his wife.

A birds eye view!:-) Taken by my daughter from the top of the apple tree.

Now, that is a mouth full! LOL

I'm not exactly sure how many apples we picked, I'm thinking some where around 6-7 bushels and that doesn't include the bushels our friends picked.

We are so thankful for the blessing of free apples and we look forward to enjoying them in the months to come! Yum!

Mackinaw 2011

2011-09-16T10:16:00.001-04:00

When I was a child I still remember the excitement of catching my first glimpse of the "Mighty Mac" as we got closer to the Mackinaw Bridge. There were a handful of times that my folks took my sister and I "Up North" for vacation and it usually involved a trip across the bridge and a trip to the Mackinaw Island. In the past I've had the pleasure of sharing a bridge crossing with my children but we've never taken them to the island, until this past week. I'm not sure who was more excited, the children or me! LOL Even our older boys were able to get time off from work to join us.

A scenic overlook. They were waving at the passerby's on the highway below.

I LOVE this one.

Two little sweet peas sitting on a rock!

Our lovely accommodations at Doll's Resort on Paradise Lake.

What a restful paradise it was. Time to relax and enjoy!

Boats just waiting for the children to jump in and enjoy! And ENJOY they did, many times.

Our first evening was spent relaxing and enjoying the water.

One of miss Hannah's rare smiles.

A near perfect evening on Paradise Lake!

The following morning we headed for Mackinaw Island. A warm, sunny morning made for a beautiful crossing.

Riding the ferry across.

A windy BUT fun ride was had by all, even Jake.:-)

Round Island light house as you enter the harbor on the island.

The view as you first approach the island.

As we approach the dock, one of the cargo wagons is awaiting it's load of supplies.

The docks on the island are a bustle of activity!

The downtown area is quaint but busy. This is the only side of the island I knew existed before this trip.

We decided we wanted to explore the less traveled areas of the island so we rented bikes and headed out around the island.

Even Jake enjoyed his day on the island.:-)

About 1 mile into the trail, we stopped and hiked to Arch Rock.

Even little Naomi climbed to the top

It was quite a climb!

BUT well worth every step.

This is a naturally occurring formation.

I love having family pictures from our adventures. It is neat to look back through them and see how everyone has grown over the years.

View of Arch Rock from the trail below.

I've never been to the backside of the island before nor the interior I was excitedly surprised by what we found.

There were a few homes nestled along the back shore. Only accessible by bike, horse, foot or boat. No cars, the only motorized vehicles on the island are emergency vehicles..

The shore line was absolutely breathtaking!

Dad was working hard hauling the little one around the island.

I think somebody needs to restore this beautiful lodge! What a shame, it just sits there!

We found some beautiful pebble beaches on the western side of the island, perfect for a picnic.

Not a soul in site, perfect!

Tyler's self portrait! Since he is the one always taking pictures, he wanted one of him to be included! LOL

This is Devil's Kitchen, what a name! LOL This is on the south side of the island.

The trees formed an arch over the bike trail.

Miss Anna taking the time to stretch her legs and enjoy the beach.

More of the natural beauty on the island.

Houses over looking the water on the south side of the island.

After biking over 8 miles around the perimeter of the island, we decided to head into the interior on foot.

Almost to the top of the FIRST of many hills we were going to climb.

Almost to the top!

After climbing a few hills and MANY stairs, here is the view from the highest point on the island.

It was a "perfect" day and the view was AMAZING!

View of the bridge from the top.

This is "sugar loaf" rock on the north side of the island. Ken and the boys went down the hill to get a closer look. The rest of us decided to enjoy the view from where we were because we had NO desire to climb another hill! LOL

The gardens at the Grand Hotel. This is all the closer we could get without paying an admission charge. You can't even walk along the front of the famous motel unless you pay $10 a person, yikes!! Needless to say, we admired from a distance.:-)

The day spent on the island was unforgettable and a good time was had by all!

The following day, we headed out to Wilderness State Park and McGulpin light house!

McGulpin light house is a short drive from Mackinaw City and it is totally free! The view from the top, AWESOME!

We hiked about 3 1/2 miles of trails through the wilderness at Wilderness State Park. While hiking through a particularly large blueberry area, we found about 3 piles of bear scat! Thankfully it wasn't fresh.:-)

It was a cold, drizzly morning and few of our children came up with some creative ways to keep the rain off! LOL

As we neared the end of the trail, we discovered we had been hiking on part of the North Country Trail, it extends from the south boundary of Michigan to the north western side of the Upper Peninsula as it joins with other trail to points west. We've hiked different sections of this trail over the years so it was fun to explore a more northern section.:-)

We had a refreshing and fun time as a family exploring Mackinaw Island and the wilderness of northern Michigan! We hope you enjoyed sharing it with us!

Got Corn? We do!!

2011-08-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

It's corn time in Michigan!! I had the bright idea that 16 dozen ears of corn was a good idea! That's 192 ears of corn that need to be husked, cut and canned! By the time I was half way done, I was thinking that I should have listened to my husband! LOL He thought that "maybe" that was too many?? He was right!

Thankfully, at least one of my children took sympathy on me and helped.;-) I had no idea how fun it would be for a 3 year old to shuck corn! In all fairness I did have a few others join in throughout the process.

Just keep on cutting, cutting, cutting.....

Got to feed the helpers.;-)

The fruits of our labor!

Needless to say I am not real eager to touch another ear of corn BUT I know I will appreciate that fresh taste of summer come January.;-)

Summer Blooms

2011-08-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

We have many beautiful flowers blooming here on the homestead this summer so I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.:-)

Calendula

Arnica

One of my MANY echinacea plants

Yarrow

Comfrey blossoms

Mullein Blossoms

My verbena and that is a black eyed susan in the middle, it is due to flower any day.

I am totally fascinated with echinacea as you will see, they are the subject of many of my pictures.

White echinacea

More calendula

More verbena blossoms.:-)

Calendula when it is first opening

Another favorite

Yes, another

Oops, where did this unusual blossom come from? LOL

Yes, I have echinacea all over the place.

The arnica is doing so good

Chamomile

It's Blueberry Time!!

2011-07-20T22:16:00.000-04:00

It seems during the last part of July, when the weather is the hottest and the most humid, the blueberries decided to ripen! One of the many blessings of living in Michigan is the abundance of fresh produce during the summer months, one of my favorites is blueberries! I could eat them everyday if I had that many.;-) Today dawned steamy and warm, but still cool enough to go get some berry picking done before it was unbearable. Here are the girls headed to the bushes, don't they looked thrilled?? Let's just say, they enjoy eating them A LOT more than picking them! LOL

Blueberries grow amazingly well here in Michigan. There are several upick places with in a short drive of our home.

The berries were abundant today, but as you can see, there are many more to ripen.

When we first arrived the temperature wasn't too bad, but then the sun came out making it almost too hot but we lasted for about an hour.

I think they actually ate more than they picked.;-)

Can you taste how delicious these berries are??

Miss Naomi makes a game out of just about everything.

Even Anna was having fun.

We picked almost 24 pounds before we had to call it quits so we weren't late getting to Grandma's for lunch.

So far between upick and purchasing ones already picked we've gotten about 60 pounds. I've canned pie filling, frozen some (we have VERY limited freezer space), we've eaten countless pounds fresh and I am planning pies. It is a delicious time to live in Michigan.;-)

Time Away From The Homestead

2011-06-30T20:41:00.002-04:00

Summer is quickly slipping away here on the homestead so we decided we better go enjoy some summer fun before the snow flies once again. Our family enjoys hiking and kayaking at Ludington State Park, since yesterday was a perfect day for both, we headed north.

Fueling up for our hike

My "sunshine" girls.:-)

Heading out on our hike

All the kids, except Tyler, he was working. Crossing the bridge on the Lost Lake Trail

Beautiful swans and their baby.

It's always a good idea to cool your feet along the way.

A little woods angel sitting beside the trail. She was NOT happy about our hike yesterday!

Okay, she was happy for a minute ONLY because we told her she could have her pacifier if she smiled! LOL

We enjoyed approximately 3 miles of hiking in the beautiful north woods. Up and down hills, around lakes, along the lake shore, was a refreshing hike. After hiking we decided to grab some kayaks and a canoe and head out on the waters of Hamilin Lake.

Mom and Naomi ready to go!

On our way to the sand dunes.

Our family really enjoys getting out on the water.

Levi was able to bring his own kayak.

Almost there!

Levi arrived before us and climbed to the top!

View from the top

Looking south from the top.

It's fun to take a break from paddling and enjoy the water before the long paddle back.

Looking north from the top of the dune. We may not have much in the way of mountains here in Michigan BUT we do have LOTS of big sand dunes along the lake shore.:-)

Just keep paddling, paddling, paddling....

Naomi decided she liked kayaking better than hiking.:-)

It was a beautiful day on the water!

After hiking and kayaking it was time to head in to town for ice cream. The House of Flavors has the BEST ice cream in the world, HONEST!! After everyone devoured their ice cream we were able to see the SS Badger as it was heading out on it's Lake Michigan crossing.

Since we were able to spend the day hiking and kayaking with Levi, we wanted to spend some time with Tyler too. He had the following day off so we headed to the stables for horse back riding.

Cowboy Tyler!

This was Anna's first time on her own horse.

Even though life gets busy on the homestead, we try to stay flexible enough to enjoy some fun too!

Welcome To My Garden.......

2011-06-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Since you all can not physically take a walk through my garden, I thought we could do the next best thing.

*Welcome*

Broccoli, just about ready to harvest.

Pumpkin patch. These are small pumpkins so the vines will be grown on a trellis.

Chocolate mint is AMAZING!

My husband doesn't appreciate my onion patch, but I sure do.:-)

Look at my beautiful comfrey plant

One of our pear trees, they are doing so well because of the extra rain we've been receiving this summer.

Tomatoes are doing awesome so far. I am expecting good things.

All we need now, is some sunshine to ripen these little babies.

A glimpse of my culinary herb patch. Pineapple Sage, Thyme and Common Sage

White Echinacea

I'm really excited about my Chamomile patch, I started this patch from seed.:-)

Lettuce, almost ready for picking.

I can already taste those fresh green beans. Hopefully soon!

Even our cabbage is doing well.

Look at these beautiful Kale plants. I started these from seed in February, guess we better figure out how to eat the stuff! LOL

Hoping for GREAT things from our potato patch.:-)

These are first year Rhubarb plants, I will have plenty next year I'm sure.

Yellow Summer Squash and Cucumbers. The cucumbers will grow up and over the fence.

Sweet Basil, the plants on the right were started from seed.

One of my 12 Blueberry Bushes. One year soon, I will have my own u pick blueberries, I won't have to pick somebodyelses.:-)

And Apple Trees, I can't wait to pick my own.

Thanks for sharing a walk through my garden.

It's Chicken Time

2011-06-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

Seven weeks ago, we brought home 50, tiny little chicks, to be raised for eating. Several of them are now at butcher weight, just waiting to go into our freezer and canning jars.:-) We raise our birds in a chicken tractor, this way they can be moved around the yard every day or so for fresh pick'ins, like bugs and grass and they get fresh ground for clean bedding. These birds have been bred to grow rapidly, they go from chick to butcher weight in approximately 8 weeks. The last few weeks they have been going through 2, 80 pounds bags of feed each week, they are eating machines.

Many folks send their chickens off to be processed BUT being the do it yourselfer types, we choose to do it all ourselves right here on the homestead. We literally know where our food has been.;-) Here is Ken killing one of the chickens. We put them in a "killing cone" and slit their throat. It is a healthier way to kill a chicken since they bleed out. It is not an enjoyable thing to do, but necessary.

Once the chicken is dead, which only takes a few minutes, we dunk them in 150 degree water to loose the feathers, making it easier for plucking.

Once the feathers are loose, it's pluck'in time!:-) The girls and I usually do this job.

We do it the old fashioned way, we pull all those feathers out by hand. It is a lot of work, but well worth it when you have a beautiful, healthy, bird in your freezer.

Next in the process is taking the guts out! Gutting is one thing I have NEVER done and I NEVER intend to! LOL I gladly leave that job to the less squeamish in the family. That would be Ken, Tyler and Ruth.

Ken does a BEAUTIFUL job! He makes it look so easy and keeps the process clean.

This time around Ruth expressed the desire to learn how to gut the birds, so Ken and Tyler showed her how. She does a GREAT job.:-)

Once the birds are gutted, they get placed in a pot of cold water to chill them quickly. While they are soaking they are attended by Hannah, the "Killer Beautician"! LOL She is in charge of quality control, taking off any missed feathers, anything else that was missed and just plain making sure we have a beautiful, clean bird!

When all was said and done, each bird put 6 pounds of meat in our freezer. Try to find something that beautiful in your grocery store!! Once they air dry for a short time, we stuff them in bags and put them in the freezer. These guys were so big we had a difficult time making them fit in the bags.

We still have 40 left to put in the freezer and we are planning on raising another 50, some time before winter. I LOVE the fact that my children KNOW where their food is coming from. When they sit down to a chicken dinner, they know they were actively involved in raising and processing each one of those birds. It is a GREAT accomplishment.:-)

Spring At Our Homestead

2011-05-29T16:46:00.000-04:00

Finally, a few minutes to literally sit down and catch up on my blogging. As most country folks know, spring is an extremely busy time and spring here at the homestead as been NO exception! So MUCH has been happening, I will do my best to catch you all up!

In April, Ruth's goat Sage, gave birth to triplets!! Sadly the first little guy was still born BUT the 2 little does both arrived safely but very creatively, they tried coming out at the same time. Thankfully with Ken's help they made their way safely into the world.

Lila, the first doe. She is now at her new home.

Meet, Oreo, she was only 5 lbs at birth and is growing beautifully! This is the one that Ruth decided to keep.

Ruth was blessed with beautiful healthy girls. Our herd just keeps growing!

We also decided to add a meat goat to our herd, he will be dinner in a few short months.

And here is the little, meat breed doe that we added to our herd. Her name is Juliet!

And here is the little buck, Romeo, that we added to our herd. It has been our goal to have a closed herd, which means our goats don't leave our property and no other goats will be visiting, so having our own buck was essential. We are excited to see what beautiful babies we get from him and our girls.

And NO we aren't just raising goats! LOL We also have 4 beautiful turkey's that should be ready for the freezer in about 5 months.

We are also raising meat chickens. We have 49 of them and they will be ready for the freezer in about 3 weeks. Yes, we do our own butchering.;-)

Even though we've been busy on the homestead, we are NEVER too busy for birthday celebrations! Anna turned 5 in May.......

and Naomi turned 3!!

We celebrated at our favorite pizza place, Spanky's!

One of the projects we've been working hard to finish is the bathroom. It has been a work in progress for about 12 years now!:-) Finally, it is done! I even have room for a washing machine now!

In amongst the work we still found some time to go play. On Mother's day we spent the day hiking and picnicking at Ludington State Park. Was a PERFECT day and I can hardly wait to go back!

Everyone helps on the homestead, even the little ones!;-) Coarse, they enjoy it when it involves digging in the dirt!

One of the areas that needed a HUGE redo on the homestead was the back yard. Because it is a high traffic area getting something to grow in the sand was impossible! Thankfully a load of wood chips solved the problem.

It covered the sand and looks nice too.

We even managed to get my flower beds by the house complete.

It involved taking all the sand out of the beds, replacing it with black dirt and adding more rocks to the walls. Thankfully the boys were here to help with this project.;-) I planted Boxwood along the house, echinacea plants in the middle and lavender around the edges.

A good use for an old hollow log.:-)

The most important, biggest and most time consuming project has been our garden!

Over the years we have been clearing a sunny, side hill. We are now terracing that side hill with garden boxes.

After building the boxes out of 2x10's, we then leveled them in the ground and filled them with beautiful black dirt that we had hauled in. Once that was done, then Ken constructed a nice sturdy fence around the area to keep the critters out of our garden. I will post more pictures later this summer when the boxes don't look so empty.

So there is no lack of staying busy here on the homestead. We did have a very sad thing happen here last week. We found out that Hannah's goat, Pickles had a terrible goat disease that is not curable and is highly contagious. It was a terribly, difficult decision to make but we decided she needed to be put down. What a sad day with many tears!

Since we need the milk and Hannah really needed another friend, we decided to add another sweet doe to our herd to help fill the empty space that Pickles left.

Her official, registered name is Caprine Springs A La Hold Em, but we call her Demi. She is a yearling who recently had her first set of twins. She is a sweetheart who promises LOTS of milk in the future.

We hope you enjoyed your visit to our little homestead. Come back again soon!

Happenings On The Homestead

2011-04-12T20:38:00.001-04:00

It's been a LONG, COLD, SNOWY winter here in the north woods. We are all VERY thankful that the snow has finally melted and the air holds the promise of spring and warmer days. One thing I am coming to enjoy here on the homestead is the ever changing projects and seasons here. Each day brings along something new. With so many different things to accomplish I find it difficult to find time for the things I use to do on a frequent basis, such as blogging.:-) So you will have to bare with me as I try to catch you all up on the happenings of the last few months here on the homestead.

Chickens warming their feet on a cold winter day. Picnic tables aren't just for picnics anymore.

If you all remember, back in February the girls purchased to Alpine does. Last month, Hannah's doe surprised us with twins! We had a few false starts but 8 days past her due date on, what would have been a very busy day in town, she surprised us. I helped her deliver her first baby, he was a large buck and needed a little assistance to make his way into this world. But he was healthy and strong.

Introducing Pickles Prince Dilly.

We stayed with her for over an hour, went inside to eat lunch. After lunch Hannah went back out to check on Dilly and mama, she came back in shortly after holding a little doe! What a surprise!

Introducing, Sweet Pickle!

She is the sweetest and we will be keeping her to grow our herd of milk does. Mr. Dilly has already been sold to a dairy goat farm, he will be used for breeding purposes, so he should have a happy life.;-) He will be going to his new home as soon as he is weaned from his mama.We are so thankful for the blessing of these sweet little creatures. Ruth's goat is due to kid in about 2 weeks, so we will see what other sweet surprises we end up with.

This is Hannah's favorite part about having goats, feeding miss Sweet Pickle.

Of coarse, along with kidding season comes lots of milk! That means cold mornings, sitting beside a goat, enjoying the age old process of milking!:-)

Hannah now does all the milking herself, she is doing a GREAT job and is quite efficient. After the babies are fed we get about 1 quart for our own use BUT once the babies are weaned, between 2 and 3 months, we should get close to a gallon.:-)

The ONE part of managing a goat herd we DO NOT like is the disbudding process. Horns are cute but can be dangerous and destructive in close quarters. So it is best to disbud the little guys when they are very young. Our friends, the Hepworth's were generous enough to disbud our goats for us. All we had to do is pay them in donuts! ha ha ha James and Ken did a marvelous job.

Now that the baby goats are here it gave us the extra incentive to get our new goat quarters completed. We decided on an 8 x 8 moveable shed, three people can move it to a new location when necessary. We chose a moveable goat house and pen to help with natural parasite control. They can have new ground every few months or so to keep ground saturation to a minimum.

When we aren't taking care of the animals or projects pertaining to the animals, we are actually making progress on the cabin. Our bathroom is now painted and awaiting tile, plumbing and trim. We even have our first ceiling light attached to a light switch in the bathroom. We also now, have ceiling lights in the kitchen and the dinning room, both attached to a light switch. Woowhooo!! Here is Ken installing our dinning room light, you do what you gotta do!;-)

Now that spring is upon us in full swing, it is time to tackle the garden boxes. Our soil is very poor here and we decided the best way to garden would be to build boxes on our side hill. It is a long, muscle aching job but we will reap our reward when we are harvesting all those fresh veggies this summer. Ken and the boys have been helping me but I will have you know, with the exception of one board, I've cut all those boards by hand!! ;-) And hauled a good portion of the dirt! Who needs exercise DVD's when you've got homestead work to do? LOL We aren't even half done yet, but we are getting there. So far we have strawberries, onions, garlic, raspberries and blueberries planted.

Hope you all are enjoying your spring and finding many projects to keep you busy!:-)

Exploring!

2011-03-19T18:45:00.000-04:00

We've had our little duckies for almost 3 weeks now and they have been doing A LOT of growing and exploring. The kids love to get them out so they can go exploring in the cabin. The other day they discovered Jake's food and water dish, (he's our dog). As you can see by the splashes on the wall, they had a GREAT time!

A couple even went for a swim.

Bet you didn't know that ducks like dog food?? LOL Hope they don't start barking!

The past few days we have been taking them outside and introducing them to the big ducks. It is so sweet to watch the big ducks teach the little ones how to be a duck! By the looks of how muddy they were when they came back inside, they are learning REAL good what it means to be a duck!

Chick House!

2011-03-19T18:36:00.000-04:00

Here is the creative little house that Tyler built for our growing chicks. Since we are only using generator power right now, using an electric brooding light just isn't an option for us so we had to get creative. For the first few weeks they spent their growing time beside our wood stove in a plastic tote, they did wonderful. We knew as they grew they would need someplace else to finish growing before they were ready for the big coop. Tyler, Ken and myself were talking and came up with the idea of using the space above the nesting boxes in the big coop.

It provides a safe place for them but also uses space that wasn't being used before. We did some research on old kerosene brooders and we came up with our own heater. It works GREAT and keeps the little peeps toasty warm even when it's 20 degrees outside.

The new home is definitely chick approved. They are happy to have the extra room!

Next project, is a place for our baby ducks. They have quickly outgrown their plastic tote and are in need of a bigger place! Will update you later with details of whatever creative solution we come up with.

Fuzzy Little Friends!

2011-03-02T19:05:00.000-05:00

Is there ANYTHING cuter than a fuzzy little chick or duckling? Not much! Today we decided to add 6 pullets, 4 bantam chicks and 4 more ducklings to our homestead.

Since we are currently operating under generator power using a heat light just isn't practical so we are currently brooding our chicks and ducklings next to our wood stove.:-)

We also keep a warm jar of water close by for them to snuggle next to.

Tyler is currently working on a kerosene brooder which should be done soon. Until then we will enjoy their soft little noises and watching their sweet little ways.

We are expecting GREAT things out of these little fluff balls. I wonder if they feel the pressure! LOL

New Additions To The Homestead!

2011-02-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

The girls have wanted goats for the longest time. So, when my friend Amanda found 3 beautiful Alpine does and was willing to share, I couldn't say no, neither could Ken.;-)

This is "Pickles", Hannah's goat.

This is "Sage", Ruth's goat

These gals are so friendly, the first day we had them home they were giving goat kisses AND following the girls around the woods like they were best friends.

I have to tell the funny story behind these goats......the day we went to look at these goats we had no shelter or fence put together for them. This is pretty usual for our family, we usually get the animals first then build the barn and fences. However, this time, because my husband is busy on other projects, I assured him he would have to do NOTHING, that Tyler, myself and the girls would take care of it all. Well, all did NOT go as planned, what can I say, I am overly optimistic! So, the goats were just too cute to leave behind, we loaded them into the back of our Montana van and drove home. Then the real fun began, we had to shovel trenches in the snow so we could put the fence up, ever try pounding fence posts into frozen ground? I wouldn't recommend it!:-) As usual, it took A LOT longer to shovel and get the fence up, by now it was 4:00 in the afternoon and we hadn't even started on a temporary shelter for them yet. See we have future plans to build a goat barn, but the ground needs to thaw first.;-) About 4:00 p.m. my husband meandered down to see how we were doing and I had to humble myself and ask for help. Being the sweet man that he is, he took charge of the project, if it hadn't been for my dear husband, our goats would have been homeless! He built a cozy temporary shelter that the goats are happy to call home until we can get their real one built.

Since both of these girls are pregnant and due to have their babies in March and April, we are going to need a milking stand very soon. So Tyler built this one for us. Sage is giving it a try, not sure she likes it so much but she tolerates it well.

Pickles isn't quite sure what to think.

The girls love the goats as much as the goats love them.

These goats have been the biggest blessing to our family. We can hardly wait for the babies to come.

Sage wanted to say good bye! Guess I better get started on our barn! LOL

A New Adventure In Food!

2011-02-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

The first Saturday in February found our family driving through the beautiful wintery countryside to a local farm to wrap our own beef as the butcher cut it up, fresh.

I can imagine, healthy, happy cows grazing in lush green grass come spring.

Don't they look tasty? LOL

They already had the cow cleaned, quartered and hanging in their cooler when we arrived.

They want their customers there on cutting day to assure you get the exact cuts of meat that you want. This 82 year old man has been cutting meat since he was 14 years old. That's A LOT of experience.:-)

The meat is BEAUTIFUL! Slim on fat, perfectly marbled and fresh.

As the meat was being cut we were able wrap and label our own meat.

I'm gonna have to learn how to cook steak! LOL They have always been too expensive for this family's budget, so it has always been ground beef and roasts. I look forward to learning how to cook new cuts of meat.

All packaged and ready to go home to the freezer. We came home with approximately 200 pounds of fresh meat. Meat that was grown on a local farm at a considerably lower price then we could purchase in the grocery store.

I would encourage you to check your local area to find a reputable local farmer to purchase from, I know you will be blessed!. The meat is awesome!

Got Snow? We Do!!

2011-02-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

Well, we survived the BIG snow storm that whipped it's way across the country the first day of February! It dumped over a foot of snow in our neck of the woods!

Our trusty Suburban looked like it had been buried!

When I opened our front door this morning, this is what greeted me.

Shoveling becomes difficult when you have to throw each shovel on top of these snow banks.

Our water barrels half buried in the snow.

It took all of us, mostly Ken and the boys, 8 hours to shovel and that wasn't even enough to shovel the whole drive way.

During the afternoon hours the sun decided to show it's beautiful bright face.

Was a beautiful afternoon.

Even the little people got out to enjoy the sunshine.

One of our hens decided to come out and enjoy the sunshine as well.

Where there are snowbanks, there are children making forts.:-)

The snow is beautiful BUT we are hoping it is a LONG time before this much snow falls again in one night!

Work'in At The Homestead

2011-01-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

One of the largest and never ending tasks at the homestead is cutting wood. Since our acreage is 100% wooded it is necessary for us to take down some trees so we can plant a garden come spring. Since we heat, cook and heat our water with wood, we will certainly put the trees to good use.

One of the MOST important jobs when cutting firewood is the guy who falls the trees and cuts it up. That responsibility falls to the dad. He is a pro at falling trees, they almost ALWAYS fall where he intends them too. Honest.:-)

Once the tree is down, and mom can stop holding her breath, all the branches need to be removed and the brush burned. Burning the brush normally falls to mom. It's the warm part of the job.;-)

Gotta keep a good, sharp chain to keep productivity high.

This picture speaks for itself! LOL

Mom feeding the brush pile. Don't you just LOVE my homestead fashion statement? LOL

Here is my man showing off, I was trying to cut this little tree down with a hand saw and was NOT making much progress so my lumberjack came to the rescue.;-) He fell the tree right on the fire, now that's service.

Are you noticing a theme with the pictures of Levi? He is a good supervisor.LOL

Everybody pitches in, even the little people were helping and yes, Tyler was helping, he stopped for a minute to snap some pictures. And you will notice the sight supervisor in the background! LOL

The mighty lumberjack cutting up the tree that he fell on the fire.:-)

Our knew pack mule! LOL In all fairness, after we loaded the sled, Levi hauled it up the hill to the pile.

With some help from Hannah. This actually is a pretty tough job, that sled is full of HEAVY oak and the hill is slippery.

Coarse, there is always time for play.

Once it is hauled up the hill, it's time to stack it.

Next winters wood, a few more days of wood cutting and we should have enough for next year.

Even though not all the children are pictured, they did help at different times during the day. Even the little ones helped haul brush and fill the sled. When the little girls were cold, the older girls switched back and forth staying with them in the house so mom could continue to work.

Heating with wood is time consuming BUT it is so very warm and cozy in our cabin on a cold winter night, well worth all that work. So next time you go adjust your thermostat, don't complain about the walk to get there! LOL Oh, and you are all welcome to come help anytime!;-)

Winter On The Homestead

2011-01-16T20:48:00.003-05:00

Winter on the homestead presents some unique challenges and beautiful frosty mornings! Come spring, the area on the other side of that fence, will be growing tall with veggies, herbs and fruit trees.

It may be brisk and clear outside but inside it is toasty warm.

Here's part of the driveway that Ken and the boys shovel by hand. Did I mention it is a 1/4 mile long? It is quite a job but they make it look easy.;-)

Our special place. This bench is in memory of our 2 tiny sons, it rests on a beautiful side hill surrounded by beach trees. Early in the morning the sunlight filters through the trees, this place is so peaceful.

Driveway marker.

I love to watch the birds. We haven't had as many birds so far this winter, I'm thinking they don't like the cheap birdseed. They must be holding out for sunflower seeds! ;-)

Winter also means piles of winter boots stacked around the wood stove.:-)

Warm, fluffy biscuits fresh from the oven await us when we come in from morning chores.

In the winter we have to drag our water barrels of ice into the house so they can thaw before we refill them.

Winter also means a pantry well stocked, so no worries about getting snowed in.

It also means enjoying the blessing of many gallons of fresh, raw milk! You see, our propane refrigerator is quite small, so in the winter we get the bonus of using the outdoors to keep large quantities of food cold for us.

Winter also means PLAY time!

Our hills make for some fun play in the snow.

The hill on our driveway has made for some excellent snowboarding.

The 2 little girls are great chicken sitters.:-)

At the end of a cold day of work, it is a treat to relax in a warm tub of water.

Each season offers something to enjoy here at the homestead.:-)

The coop!

2011-01-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

Here is our chicken house.:-) This was built when we built the cabin over 10 years ago.

Chickens like to roost at night.

Nesting boxes. We purchased these years ago from an old chicken farm. Very reasonable priced and they last practically forever.

We were blessed with a coop full of chickens.

Now, if they would just start giving us something other than poo in their nesting boxes, we would be all set.:-)

One of our roosters.

One of our Brahma hens, they are suppose to be good mothers. We are hoping she will hatch some eggs for us in the summer.

This is my favorite part about life on the homestead, the animals.:-)

New Adventure!

2011-01-02T19:01:00.000-05:00

Recently my husband was laid off from his job in North Carolina so we made the decision to move back to our homestead in the north woods of Michigan. So begins yet another adventure for our family. Our blog will take on a slightly different flair as we share glimpses of our life here as we try to shape our piece of land into a working homestead. We've attempted this in the past with minimal success, but this time Lord willing we will accomplish our goal.

Our little homestead sits a ways off from the beaten path, down a 2 track actually. So moving back in the middle of winter, well, it certainly presented some challenges. One of those challenges was getting a 26 foot moving truck unstuck! Amazing how difficult it can be to get one of these big trucks to move when it doesn't want to!! But, with lots of chopping, shoveling, spinning and pulling with our trusty suburban, we got it out of the snow and returned to the rental company.:-)

Another challenge is "hard water"! LOL We aren't able to use our hot water heater this time of year due to freezing so we scoop water out of barrels and heat it on the stove. Don't you just want to crawl right in that barrel and take a bath?? I didn't think so.;-)

My sister helped jump start our little homestead by blessing us with 2 white pekin ducks. So a duck coop was our first project. My son and I spent a very COLD 20 degree day building this.

My big strong men carrying it to it's current location next to our "sometimes" pond.

Our resident ducks. In the spring we are hoping to add 7 more to the flock.

They must have approved of their new coop because the first morning, they blessed me with 2 beautiful eggs.

The biggest blessing of being back on our homestead is time spent together. Our little ones and big ones shadowing us and learning more about God's creation and His ways.

Thanksgiving Snapshots

2010-11-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

Just a few snapshots from Thanksgiving in our home.

Thanksgiving starts the day before with all the preparation, there are always plenty of helpers.:-)

This year miss Hannah made the pumpkin pies and the cornbread for the stuffing.

Miss Ruth was my potato peeler this year, she had lots of help.

Hannah's cornbread ready for the oven.

Special Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast Thanksgiving morning. We at the first pan the night before because they were so yummy so I made a fresh pan Thanksgiving morning.:-)

Add some scrambled eggs and home canned peaches, mmmmm yummy!

Turkey perfection. It tasted as good as it looked.

These Butter horns have become a tradition on our Thanksgiving table. Melt in your mouth delicious!

Steamed carrots with dill. I always think about my friend Erika when I have these.

Sparkling cider

Homemade cranberry sauce is so pretty!

A feast for a King, we have much to be thankful for!

Since myself and little ones weren't feeling well, we didn't get to enjoy much of the food BUT seeing this pictures is making me hungry!!

And a delicious feast was enjoyed by all, all that felt good anyways.

Even though our Thanksgiving was not spent as planned we still had much to be thankful for. I pray we are able to take that thankfulness and apply it to every day in the future. Hoping you all had a BLESSED Thanksgiving!

Glimpses Of Autumn In Colonial Williamsburg

2010-11-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we were blessed with free passes into Colonial Williamsburg. We are so thankful for the couple of weekends throughout the year that Williamsburg chooses to honor active duty, retired and veterans of the military, it is a HUGE blessing! Friday was a beautiful fall day to step back in time and enjoy the simplicity of yesteryear.

My favorite part of Williamsburg, the working farm! I could hang out here all day!

Ladies hats displayed in the local mercantile

One of the many fall gardens

Horse out to pasture at the farm

Ah, the good 'ol days when all you needed was hay instead of gas (liquid gold)!

Oh this beautiful kitchen! No, you won't find modern gadgets but something far better!

Next to all the gardens, my favorite place was the weaving/spinning shop! Check out that beautiful fabric on the loom, I was itching to sit down and start weaving!

So beautiful! They practice traditional dye techniques so the colors you see displayed are historically correct.

Outside the hat shop

The day we were visiting was the day they declared independence (sorry I am horrible with dates!) so there were many town speeches going on and much excited commotion!

Naomi sitting by the corn/grain pounder in the slave quarters. You would have some MAJOR biceps pounding your grains with this thing! LOL I couldn't believe how heavy the pounder was! Makes me REALLY appreciate my Whisper Mill!

Can you say dinner? In 3 weeks this big guy will be hanging in the smoke house!

The colors were so brilliant!

Levi and Naomi in the doorway of one of the little shacks at the farm.

Making cypress shakes for the roof of the kitchen you will see being built later.

Product of shake making

Aren't they beautiful in their simplicity. A good cypress shake roof will last 60 years. That's better than our modern day shingles!

They are currently in the process of building a new kitchen, they are building it the way they would have back in the 1800's. Hand tools, pegs, authentic nails, it is a sight to behold!

One and half years ago when we were visiting they were building this building on site at the carpenter shop. They put it together as they are building it, then take it apart and rebuild at it's current location.

So it was really neat to see them rebuilding a building we were able to see in it's beginning stages.

Raising the trusses. Maybe next time we visit this kitchen will be complete.:-)

There's my shack again! LOL

I LOVE the critters that they have scattered in small pastures all over the village.

Tobacco drying in the tabacco barn. Two barrels of tobacco provided a years worth of provision for a family.

One of the windows in the Castle Garden

Miss Naomi in the Castle kitchen garden

Make sure you check out the next post for a continuation of our time in Williamsburg!

Glimpses Of Autumn In Colonial Williamsburg Continued

2010-11-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

We had so many beautiful pictures I decided to include a second post.

Fence around the stockade.

Miss Anna in the slave quarters on the working farm

I want one of these, beautiful and practical. Used in one of the many gardens scattered throughout the village.

Do you think I like baskets? LOL

Bench in the castle garden

The Castle

The Castle grounds were AMAZING!

The Castle Maze

Shouldn't there be a scene from one of Jane Austin's books be taking place here? I LOVE THIS!

Clothing in the mercantile

The stores are set up much the same as they would have been in the 1800's

Working cattle on the farm just outside of the village of Williamsburg

I am captivated by their fences.:-)

Field waiting for springs planting

Tree of fire! The colors were amazing!

One of the many cottage gardens. Look at that beautiful cabbage!

Hannah and Ruth hanging out with the horses.:-)

The door of the hat shop

Another cottage garden. This one was at the working farm.

I hope you have enjoyed a few glimpses inside Colonial Williamsburg. Each time we return we discover something new. It is always difficult to leave and rejoin the 21st century but it reminds me to look for the simple beauty that surrounds us everyday and to keep life as simple as possible.

North Carolina Aquarium

2010-11-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

North Carolina has several aquariums nestled along their coast line, we were pleased to discover one only 1 1/2 hours away from us on Roanoke Island. We were even MORE pleased to discover on Veterans Day they had a free admission day!! Anyone who has a larger family can appreciate free admission!! LOL

The aquarium is nestled along the shores of the Roanoke Sound.

It was a chilly day, a perfect day to spend inside admiring God's creatures.

Ruth and Naomi enjoying a ride on the turtle.:-)

It was enjoyable to meander through the aquarium watching the beautiful sea creatures that God has created with out having to go deep sea diving.

You gotta watch out for those crocks though, NOT friendly!! LOL

And the sharks, they can eat a whole family!

I LOVED watching the rays, they are so graceful!

Flying under water.

Sea horses are so small and delicate.

Remember, watch out for those sharks!! LOL

The best part of all, they had a "touching" tank where you can touch the skates and other critters. They were amazingly soft.

Was a fun and educational day! Homeschooling at it's best!

Hope you all enjoyed sharing our trip to the North Carolina Aquarium!

Homeschool Graduates!!

2010-11-01T14:36:00.001-04:00

Can you believe that we have 2 homeschool graduates in our home??? We are so excited for our sons, they have done an amazing job and we stand in awe of how quickly the homeschool years have flown by! Yesterday we had a Graduation Party in honor of Levi and Tyler's accomplishments, a fun day of food and fellowship was had by all!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

With any party there is always decorating to be done. Everybody pitched in. Since the usual graduation season was over with, finding party decorations was a challenge so we decided to go with a fall theme instead.

Decorating is done, now we need the food and the people!

The morning of the party, we filled each bowl with candy corn and candy pumpkins.

Gift table and photo board with lots of memories.

The day of the party dawned sunny and beautiful!

I am sorry to say, I didn't get any pictures of the actual food! We were half way through the party before I even remembered to take pictures!

The days menu:

Barbecue Meatballs

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Potato Salad

Baked Beans

Chips

Deviled "Angel" eggs

Carrots/Broccoli and Dip

Pickles & Olives

Spiced Cider

And Cake for Desert.:-)

I WAY over planned on food so we will be eating good for the next week or so! LOL

We had a wonderful turn out for the party. It was an encouragement to us all to see how many people have touched our boy's lives in the last couple of years.

So much wonderful fellowship!

With everyone's bellies full, we headed outside for music, fellowship and games!
Thought you might like to personally meet some of the folks in attendance.:-)

Jonathan, he plays the base guitar in the worship band, he is a homeschool graduate.

You all know Levi, he runs the sounds system, he is also a homeschool graduate!

Miss Elizabeth, a sweet, friendly young lady from our church family.

Our neighbor Conner and Alex, Elizabeth's brother. They are trying their hand at Tyler's drums.

Caleb, dear friend, we've know his parents for years!

Pastor Nick on his way to play horseshoes!

This is Mike, he likes to play drums! LOL New friends of ours and worship leader.

This here is Kevin, and our pastors sweet daughter Kayla! He's a homeschool graduate, he is also a member of the worship team at church!

Here we have Tyler, (drummer and homeschool graduate), Levi (sound system guy and homeschool graduate), John and Darlene Moon (dear, sweet folks from church) and Clara (Elizabeth's mom)

There were several games going on throughout the afternoon, here Hannah is playing a game with our neighbors.

More games

Lots of fellowship!

Grandma Sharon, her husband (Richard), Keith (Elizabeth's dad), John (our worship leader) and Philip (Jonathan's dad)

All the musicians enjoyed the afternoon playing together. Tyler was behind the drums earlier in the day. He is now a part of the worship team at our church. We are blessed to see him using the talent the Lord has blessed him with.

Mike the drummer with is dear wife and sweet baby Hannah, she is their 4th blessing!

Grandma Jane with Suzanne (Caleb's Mama) Ruth, Lilly and Anna

There were also sweet babies to hold and cuddle!

We were blessed with a near perfect day!

Please continue to pray for Levi and Tyler as they seek the Lord for direction for their future! Thank you to all who came and made our boys feel loved and encouraged AND we missed all of you from afar who were here with us in our hearts!

Inland Adventures

2010-08-30T09:18:00.002-04:00

Friday we decided to head inland to see what exciting adventure we could find in this beautifully flat state we live in. LOL We were headed for Medoc Mountain State Park, which is about 2 1/2 hours southwest of us. On our way we got side tracked by the beautiful Roanoke Rapids on the Roanoke River. The river was beautiful!

We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch and then afterwards we went exploring. We headed down to the rapids for some photo opportunities.

Tyler and I headed off the beaten path to capture just the right picture.:-) I was minding my own business, snapping pictures when Tyler looks at me and says, "mom, don't turn around, just slowly walk away!!" I've heard that tone out of my husband before so I knew I better just do as I was told, even if it was from my son!! LOL After I walked about 10 feet away, I turned and this is what I saw!!!

Yes, this is a copperhead snake, which is poisonous!!! My leg was only about 2 feet away from him when Tyler told me to move!!! Thankfully this guy already had his lunch in his mouth so he wasn't interested in me!!! I was amazed how he blended in with his surroundings, I never even seen him! Makes me A LOT more cautious when we are tromping around down here!

This is the shot I was taking just before Tyler cautioned me to move.

After exploring the rapids we decided to take a hike along the river. It was a VERY muggy day so a 2 mile hike was almost too much. Below you can see our sweaty little people. It was HOT!

Walking over one of the bridges on the river!

A small stream running through the woods on it's way to the river.

Just a few of the beautiful trees along the way.

Here is the bridge that we were walking over. It dates back to the 1800's

It was steamy down in the woods but it was beautiful.

After we all recovered from our 2 mile hike in the sauna, we decided we were going to go for a swim and cool off. Well, we had some very disappointed children as we heard the thunder start to roll in and the raindrops begin to fall.:-( So we cooled of in the air conditioned truck instead.:-) We decided as long as we had come this far, we might as well go check out Medoc Mountain State Park, after all, that is what we had originally come for. LOL

We weren't disappointed. By the time we had gotten there, the clouds had parted and it had cooled down. So we enjoyed a short hike down to the creek. You know I was watching VERY carefully for more snakes!!!

Here is Tyler bent down capturing one of his beautiful pictures.

Look at that sweet little woods angel!! :-)

There were many fall leaves floating in the water and scattered throughout the forest, fall is in the air.

It was a beautiful park, we plan to visit again this fall.

We had an enjoyable day and were refreshed by the beautiful rolling hills, woods and even the tobacco fields were fun to see. We will definitely be revisiting this area again!

Michigan Trip-Ludington State Park

2010-07-12T20:47:00.013-04:00

The first stop on our Michigan trip was the Cabela's store in Dundee, Michigan. I was in need of some hiking shoes, so it was a good excuse to swing in for a few minutes. Okay, maybe an hour. LOL

While in Michigan the Lord blessed us with time spent in Ludington State Park. This park is about 60 miles northwest of our cabin. In all of our years in Michigan, we never discovered this little gem. We spent many hours in this park enjoying the awesome hiking and beautiful lakes!

We meandered along Lost Lake...

and enjoyed views of the beautiful, clear water.

Did I mention the cool breeze blowing in from Hamlin Lake?

Time to take a small break!

Oh, and we couldn't forget to stop and dip our feet in the refreshing water every so often.:-) Jake wasn't too thrilled about the whole water experience. LOL

After meandering around Lost Lake and found the end of the Island Lake Trail, we headed for the Ridge Trail.

Anybody who knows our family, knows we like to climb to the highest elevation in the area. We weren't disappointed.

The Ridge Trail

The view from the top was worth the climb! You could see Lake Michigan on one side and Hamlin Lake on the other. Beautiful!

View of Lake Michigan and light house from the top.

Hamlin Lake and sand dunes.

Tyler at the top of the ridge.

After climbing it was time to take a little rest.

The hike was beautiful! After getting all sweaty, a dip in Lake Michigan was a necessity.:-)

The water was perfect!! We had a fun and relaxing time playing in the waves.

Later in the week, we made another trip to Ludington State Park, this time to do some canoeing and kayaking!

The day started out rainy but cleared by afternoon, making it a perfect day to be on the water.

View of Hamlin Lake from Lost Lake.

Kayaks are awesome!

Part way through the trip Naomi decided she wanted to ride with daddy.:-)

Our destination, the dunes, so we could beach the canoes and kayaks and take a swim.

The water was so clear and inviting!

We floated between islands, over turtles, old logging stumps, in coves, what a beautiful trip.

Our "Jake" is always up for adventure. Even if it means canoeing.:-)

Our trip ended with a tour through Lost Lake. We can't wait to return next year.

Since this was our last trip to Ludington this year we decided we needed to end on a sweet note.:-) So we headed for the BEST ice cream place ever, the House of Flavors! My parents use to take me there when I was a child, so I have many fond memories. We all chose our favorite ice cream and enjoyed every bite!! Even though it was late, we all wanted to walk to the the light house and wear off our ice cream. LOL

Was an absolutely PERFECT Michigan evening!

Make sure you check out the next page for the continuation of our Michigan adventure!

Michigan Trip-Family, Friends and Fellowship

2010-07-12T20:14:00.013-04:00

Time away with family, adventures, site seeing are all wonderful parts of any vacation BUT the fellowship of spending time with family and friends, it is priceless!

Naomi giving Grandpa a hug!

In amongst our visits and sharing yummy meals with Grandpa and Grandma, we also had the opportunity to spend time with the Posobiec family!! What fun!! We were able to enjoy a hiking and picnic adventure with them, at Ludington State Park.

Getting fueled up for our hiking adventure!

Levi was the entertainer for the day! LOL

Can you tell we enjoyed chatting with each other? We did, eventually go for a hike, honest.:-)

See, I told you! LOL Here we are heading along the Logging Trail.

They must have eaten a good lunch, they are still running! LOL

What a beautiful hike. It is amazing how quickly the miles tick by when your mouth is moving faster than your feet! LOL

This shelter was the perfect place to get a picture! I LOVE this one!!

Such sweet memories!

Look at that sweet face! Since you can't see her on her mama's back in the family picture, I had to include this sweet one. Can't leave her out!

I hope we didn't wear out our welcome with the Posobiec family, we just couldn't get enough! LOL Here we are enjoying the fireworks together. I think we did more visiting than watching though. LOL

Tyler was able to capture a few of the beautiful fireworks!

A very enjoyable evening!

Since we couldn't spend all of our time with Grandpa, Grandma and Posobiec family, we decided to visit with the Looy family.:-)

Naomi is enjoying Mr. Tim's lap.:-)

Their daughter Kim brought a horse out for the girls. That certainly produced many BIG smiles.

Even Anna was having fun.:-)

Can you tell he enjoys the little ones?

We can't remember a trip when we have been able to enjoy so much wonderful fellowship! Thank you everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to make us feel so welcome! Be sure to check out the next page for the continuation of our Michigan adventure.

Michigan Trip Continued-It's All About Horses

2010-07-12T20:03:00.006-04:00

What vacation would be complete without horseback riding?? In the girls opinion it is essential to any vacation worth taking. LOL They LOVE going to Cowboys and Clowns for a trail ride!

The only time I get big smiles out of my girls, when they are on the back of a horse!

Where's the cowboy hat?

Mom was content to stay back at he stables while dad went along with the children. I like to take pictures of the horses BUT am more than content NOT to ride.:-)

This was Anna's first time horse back riding. She did great!

More BIG smiles! My girls LOVE horses!

On the 4th we were able to attend the horse pulls in Hesperia. This was our 3rd year of attending and we were NOT disappointed. These HUGE horses do an awesome job each year.

A young lady drove this team. They were a small team but hung in there for quite a while.

Even though I am not a huge horse fan, I totally enjoy watching these beautiful horses compete!

Sure hope our little horse adventures made you smile!

Don't forget to check out the next page for a continuation of our Michigan adventures.

Michigan Trip Continued-Our Visit To The Mountains And Other Adventures

2010-07-12T18:53:00.014-04:00

On our return trip to North Carolina we decided to take a few detours to see if we could find some adventure. We headed south and ended up driving through and exploring the central part of West Virginia. Our destination, the New River Gorge Bridge.

It is the longest single arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

The highest vehicle carrying bridge in the United States.

The second longest single arch bridge in the World.

The second highest bridge in the United States.

A national landmark in engineering.

And the 8th Mega Structure on Earth.

If that isn't enough reason to stop and gaze, then how about the fact, it is beautiful. Not as beautiful though, as the beautiful New River Gorge, man just can't out do God's awesome creation!

The mountains, valleys and rivers of West Virginia were beautiful but for those of us who get car sick, we were glad to be on level and straight ground once again.:-)

Next stop, Virginia! We decided to spend the night in Eastern Virginia so we could visit the Natural Bridge. Upon finding out they wanted an insane amount of money to let our family in to see this Natural Bridge we decided we didn't need to see it quite as badly as we thought.:-) So we went in search of another adventure. A few locals recommend we go in search of Panther Falls which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

So we headed for the hills. Below is the valley where we spent the night. After winding up and down the mountain side following 3 different sets of directions (all of which were different) we thought we had finally found the hiking trail to the falls!

After hiking DOWN hill for 1/2 mile or so we found the river but NO falls!! While the river was peaceful and pretty, we were disappointed to be all sweaty for nothing!! Did I mention we had to hike back UP the hill?? We arrived back at the truck and decided to check our directions again. After some more twisting and turning up and down the mountain side we finally found our destination!

After another hike DOWN the hill, we were finally rewarded by beautiful Panther Falls.

The water falls into a beautiful clear pool, perfect for swimming. We were certainly hot and sweaty enough to go for a swim, but we decided to pass. We would have been content to linger the rest of the day.

The river that flows over Panther Falls

We were really wanting to get a good hike in before heading home but due to poor planning on our part, we weren't able to achieve our goal this trip. But we did get to enjoy a short drive on the Blueridge Parkway and enjoy a picnic at the Upper James River.

Views from the Parkway

The Upper James River. Last year we visited the lower part of the James River while visiting Williamsburg so it was neat to see where it originates.

Appalachian Mountains

Allegheny and Blueridge Mountains

The river and mountains were beautiful!

Some huge rocks we found along the way.

Levi is happy and content to be back in the South!

Family, fellowship, fun and adventure all wrapped up in one awesome trip! Thanks for sharing it with us!

Green Bean Harvest!

2010-06-07T11:39:00.004-04:00

Look what I found in my garden this morning!!! These are going to be so yummy with dinner tonight!!

If there are any left that is!! Can't keep the little ones out of them!! LOL

See My Garden Grow!

2010-06-02T09:12:00.014-04:00

It's been a few weeks since we walked through my garden so I thought I would let you all see how well it is doing? Plants LOVE this North Carolina humidity.:-)

My tomato plants have gone a little crazy.:-)

They are as tall as my 4 year old and still growing!

And they are loaded with tons of baseball sized tomatoes, just waiting to turn red.

Here is my feverfew in full bloom.

Check out these peppers!

Some of these have already made it into some fresh made salsa! Yummy!

My squash have taken over! They too, are as tall has my 4 year old. They were overshadowing my pepper plants so I had to build a divider between them and the peppers to help confine them a bit. I have several small squash, growing strong!

I planted marigolds and nasturtiums around the perimeter of my garden, they are in full bloom now. I enjoy the bright colors they bring to my garden.

Even my beans are loving this weather. The fence in the background has several cucumber plants beginning to make their climb.

Lots and lots of blossoms and several beans as well. We should be picking by the weekend.:-)

Look at the blossoms on my cucumbers!! We should have cucumbers growing real soon!

My cabbages have more than doubled since the last time we visited my garden.

And here is my favorite part of my garden, the herbs.:-) Dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, lavender, mint, echinacea (which is ready to bloom any day), feverfew and Anna is smelling the flowers on my cilantro.:-) So far, I am very please with the progress in our little garden. We all look forward to the harvest!

The Fence Project

2010-05-16T17:03:00.007-04:00

Well I've had a few people ask, where are the pictures of the fence project? So here it goes.:-) This year, due to insurance difficulties we had to put a fence up around our pool. We live in a rental home so the project needed to be some what temporary and as inexpensive as possible. Oh, and did I mention, it should look nice. LOL After much arguing, oh, I mean discussing, between mom and dad at Lowe's last weekend, we finally came to a decision to use picket fence segments. Not the cheapest BUT it does look really nice.;-) Anyways, other than picking out the fence, Ken, with the help of the boys, gets all of the credit for how good our fence turned out. He was the master mind and hard working hands behind the project.

Levi is a really good supervisor! He likes to supervise while everybody else does the work.:-)

Okay, so he did jump in and help his brother a few times.;-)

The use of our neighbors saw made the project a lot quicker one.

Tyler is like his dad, a hard worker and he loves to work with his hands.

Here, dad is explaining to son, how to build the posts the fence will sit on.

Ken came up with the best idea for our fence. He designed these neat posts with feet on the bottom of them. It made a very sturdy fence with out all of the hassle of digging holes and digging into something you don't want to. Like sewer lines.;-)

Like many of our projects, we just wing it! LOL BUT when my genius husband is involved, they always work out GREAT!

Okay, so there are usually a lot of episodes like this one, Dad scratching is head, trying to figure out what to do, Tyler patiently waiting for instructions and Levi supervising. LOL

At this point, the children were getting impatient so they decided to start putting the pool up before the fence was complete.

It's done!! Yeah!! It turned out beautifully!

Why don't you all come over for a swim? The kids have already been enjoying it immensely and can assure you , the water feels as good as it looks!:-)

It's Strawberry Time!!

2010-05-06T08:59:00.006-04:00

May means strawberry time in North Carolina, so last night as the evening was cooling down we headed for the strawberry fields.

This year we have had plenty of sunshine so the berries were plentiful, sweet and juicy!

With everyone picking it only took us about 30 minutes to pick 40 pounds of berries.

When Levi and Hannah had their bucket full they decided to hull their strawberries in the field. Those will be the first berries we use.:-)

Can you see the strawberries around her mouth? She was certainly enjoying the strawberries!

There were some pretty strange looking berries but this one was the weirdest.:-)

Even Anna did a great job picking!

Yum, Yum!!

Was a beautiful evening for picking.

Well here is what 40 pounds of strawberries look like.

These delicious strawberries are kid approved!:-)

Now it is off to the kitchen to make many yummy things with our strawberries!:-) Make sure you check out The Whole Foods Family

http://wholefoodsfamily.blogspot.com/

next week, I will be posting some of our family's favorite strawberry recipes.