Spring Happenings

My pansies are so full and colorful right now. We've had a lot of rain so our flowers and grass are going crazy. 

My grandma got this bird feeder for the boys and it has really been fun to watch them come and go. We keep it outback so it's easy to see while we eat at the kitchen table. 

Our chickens are so fun to watch. We currently have 22 hens and 2 roosters. It's been interesting to say the least. They are so fun to take pictures of! 

Our new rooster's name is Goldie. The poor boy can't crow very good, but he surely gives it his best effort every morning around 6:30am. Our other rooster is actually still a chick. You never really know if your getting a hen or rooster when you buy them as chicks. We are hoping they get along when they are put together. For now we have them separated.  

We have had some great spring weather. Warm and rainy! 

Great for ice cream cones.

We recently got a picnic table for our backyard. The boys would rather dance and eat ice cream on it, than sit :)

We are currently in route to Florida for vacation. It's been a great drive so far with about 9 more hours to go :)

Spring Photos from our Homestead

I am SO thankful it's FINALLY Spring! 

My winter pansies are also happy to be out of dormant stage. They are lifting up as if they are speaking to the skies! I am so giddy about these flowers. It's been such a long winter. 

Many new sprouts showing up this past week.

We've had to cut 4 trees this spring. We are stocking up on firewood. 

The boys are normally always willing to help around the house. They gather the eggs for me, clean out ditches, feed and water the chickens. 

Kipton is our chicken catcher. He can catch them any way he can. By the feet, wings, head, you name it he can catch it that way! He is not afraid of ANYTHING, and has a very GO get em personality.

Our baby chicks are growing so much. This picture is from when we first brought them home. They are getting their personalities now. Trying to peck at me when I change the water and food. 

We are getting 70 degree weather this week. 

Spring is such a happy season. Even through the rough winters, God brings us fresh new life!

Spring Chicks are Here!!!

Around the first of March, our local farming stores all get their shipments of baby chicks. Our boys have purchased them for the past 3 years and this year they were just as excited. Karson normally recieves birthday money on his birthday and wants to use it towards chicks.  

It's always one of the best days of spring when we bring them home. We have to watch the boys like a hawk. Kipton more than Karson because he just snuggles and loves on them, sometimes a little too hard. 

They are so small this year. We got them at 3 days old, instead of years past when they were weeks old. 

  

Every year Bailey acts like a crazy chick guard dog. He follows them when they are out and jumps after them. I really have to watch him closely too.

This year Kevin and the boys built a new chick pen. It's always tradition to build a new pen out of pallets. Kevin loves getting on Pinterest and looking up pallet building projects. 

 

They built this pen for about $6.00. Kevin gets free pallets from work and we save them up all winter. The only thing he bought was the wire and some bracers. 

Every time Kevin goes to the hardware store he brings more chicks home. I think we are up to 12 now. 

I love the baby chick stage and love to see them grow and then begin to lay eggs. I do NOT enjoy them roaming all over my garage and porches. lol They know if they come to my back porch they will get left overs. 

If you're considering chickens in your homestead, you won't regret it. It has been the best learning and responsibility process we could have for our boys. 

Once you have your cage built, they are pretty low maintenance. Feeding and collecting eggs each day which maybe takes 10 minutes. 

I'm so thankful Spring is here!!!

Spring Grass for your Table

If you've had a long winter, chances are you're ready for SPRING!! The moment when the sun is shining, birds are peeping, and the Easter Lillies are blooming are the best moments of the year for me. 

Growing grass is also a favorite of mine. This Rye grass is so simple and easy to make your Spring table so green and cheery!

Here are some things you'll need to grow this beautiful grass. 

At your local hardware store (Tractor Supply, ACE) they have bins of different types of grass seed. 

I bought RYE grass seed for $1.20. You only need a little depending on the size of your container. 

You will also need some good soil. I didn't want to buy a big bag so I went to my garden that's currently our compost pile and dug some dirt.....which was FREE! 

I already had this little tin can that I used to hold our chicken eggs when we gathered them. You could use anything. An old rustic bucket, Easter basket, or chicken feeder would work great! 

I put my dirt in, sprinkled my seeds, and gave them a little water. I sat them in front of my French doors with plenty of sunlight. 

Make sure not to over water!

Within 6 or 7 days you will have grass. 

This is so fun for St. Patricks day, Easter and Spring. If my grass gets too tall and shaggy, I cut it with scissors for a little trim. 

Enjoy!

Spring on the Homestead

Here on our homestead, there are MANY ways to tell that Spring is here. 

My pansies are in pots and adding spring color to the porch. I have decided to just stick to flowers in my pots so that I don't have to continue to re-do mulch after planting. 

I am thankful for the growth of our landscape. We just planted all of this ourself last summer, and praying that it would harden up through winter and come up this spring. 

Our grass is growing! A sure sign that spring is here. I just spreaded another bag of seed yesterday, and hoping it takes to cover the bare spots. 

We have a robin's nest in one of my evergreen bushes. I am so thankful to see that she reused some of Bailey (our dog)'s hair that I threw into the yard for her. That is all of the white hair you see. 

This momma robin did NOT want the boys and I looking at her babes. She was NOT happy when we were taking a look and kept swooping our heads :) It made for good entertainment for the boys. 

My "bell" flowers as I call them are looking good. I forgot the actual name of them. Maybe one of you may know, but they are super easy and add lots of color.

A spring wreath on the garage door is a sure sign that spring is here! My mom made it. 

And lastly, our garden. After seeing some other garden pictures ours looks pretty drabby. We will have to work on this once Kevin has some days off work. We need some sort of border around the garden as well as fence. I know the deer are trying to find it, they just haven't yet. 

Karson choose brussel sprouts to plant. (this made me happen, the boy will eat ANYTHING!)

Our green beans are going crazy and we put up this twin so they can eventually grow up. I had just sprinkled them with Sevin dust. Hoping for a good season for the garden. This year we have a new spot and we are hoping the deer stay out of it, and it does well.

Head over to 

for more ideas about your Homestead!

Happy Spring