Payton that is for the Chickens

So last night DH took the baby and the boy out to feed some bread to the chickens.  So instead of going out in the yard they stood on the deck and throw the bread down onto the fire pit. 

So DH gave both Payton and Jason some bread.  Jason through his bread at the chickens, while Miss Payton decided that it was too good to throw and started to eat the bread instead. 

 

This was after she had just had dinner of grilled cheese, cheese stick, and banana muffin, 2 helping of peas and carrots, 2 helping of pears, some M&Ms and a cookie.  You would think that the way she is acting that we did not feed the child.  Lord help me if she keeps eating like this!!!  We might have to have a garden just to feed the Nut.

Growing Grapes

So we have been working on getting the grape Arbor up and getting the grapes in the ground.  First we had to cut down 2 large Junipers on the side of the house that were on the downhill slide.  Once that was done we started working on getting the bows cut off to use for mulch for grapes and blue berry bushes.  This past Sunday we went and purchased the 4x4s and cement mix for the arbor.  DH dug the holes and got the post set just after lunch time and then we went out later in the afternoon and  planted the 3 grape plants that we purchased almost a month ago that have been hiding in our greenhouse.  The cool thing is that the plants already have small clusters of grapes on them.  This is good for us since DH told me the when he last bought grapes for kid’s lunches that it cost us over $6.  I can only hope with all that we are doing will help us because I see food cost just rising in the next year and with 4 little mouths to feed it will be crazy. 

We like Pizza!!!!

So we have found that even though our favorite pizza place, Barlo’s, is good we can’t justify spending $40 a time to get pizza for the family when we can make our own and it only cost use less than a $1 for pizza.  We did start doing something new with our pizza sauce.  As some of you know we shop at GFS.  So we found that even though buying a large can of pizza sauce was cheaper we were having a hard time using it all before it got mold.  So DH got idea that once we open the can up then we just can the rest in smaller jars to be used later.  This weekend was the first test of the jars of sauce that we re-canned in our own jars and it worked out great.  The boy, Jason, wanted pizza this weekend and since the older girls where gone we made pizza.  This was the first time that we let him make his own and he loved it.  I have a small pizza pan and once the dough had risen for the hour we made up the pizzas.  I think that was the most I have seen him eat in a long time.  Amazing when you let the kids help in the preparation of their own meal how much better they eat….excluding the baby, she just eats everything.

Deal, Deal, Deals

So on Friday I sent DH to get lettuce after he picked up the boy.  When he got home he had bags, I mean bags, of medicines that were clearance out.  I am talking about cold and Flu meds that every house in the US uses on a regular basis.  So DH Figured up the retail and then what it cost him and I was shocked.  So with all that he bought it would have cost us $158.84.  He only spent $49.  A total savings of $109.48!!  I know I sometimes give him crap for buying some of stuff that he does but this time it saved us a ton and now when one of us gets sick all I have to do is go shop in our food pantry instead of someone having to go to the store and find meds.

The Littlest Redneck

So last night I took the baby out to help gather the eggs, check on the chickens and water the gardens.  So I gave her the bucket to our baby and let her go to town.  She walked over to area and dumped the bucket and then proceeded to pick up some of the corn and throw to the chickens.  She so able to walk up behind them and touch their tail feathers,  She thought she was so sneaky. 

Then we tried to water the gardens and berry bushes….well little miss saw the water on and decided she needed to be in it.

I then watered our garden.  The potatoes are getting bigger every day.

And we have little bitty corn plants coming up

  

Been busy

So we have been busy in getting things done around our homestead.  We visited a local green house and purchased plants and seeds for the garden.  We bought 2 raspberry/blackberry plant s but could not bring myself to buy more than that for $10 per plant.  We also bought 3 different grapes and 2 blueberry bushes.  We also bought peat pots while there. 

A few days later we were up at my grandparents and behold they have tons of berry bushes that are growing all over the wind breaks around the property.  Well for a little effort and time we dug up about 10 more plants.  Now we did not get these planted right away and not sure all of them from that digging will make it but it costs me nothing.

The first round of seeds that DH had started in the house just didn’t do so well.  We sat one afternoon on the deck during spring break and filled the pots with potting soil and then planted a variety of our seeds.  And guess what…in less than one week we have sprouts.  I am just worried we will have more started than we can plant in our garden. 

THE DH did get some of the herbs that we bought into the ground in the new herb garden.  I am just waiting on my shipment from Horizon Herbs.  I hope to get most of the herb garden in by Memorial Weekend but will just go with the flow on it. 

So over Easter weekend we did the auction rounds and did get some good deals.  We are planning on going again in a few weeks to try and get more things that are on our want list for our homestead.

Easter Sunday we spent the day at my grandparents doing yard work.  I decided this year instead of busted my butt cooking and backing to only have to drag all the food back home that we would donate our time and do yard work that my grandfather (84) just can’t do any more.  We cleaned up sticks, leave and cut down sucker trees that had come up in the lily’s out front by the road.  The cool thing is grandpa told us to come get any plants that we want.