Monday, June 24, 2013

An Update in Pictures


Life continues to be busy around the homestead.  Summer heat doesn't slow the workload, so we forge ahead and work through the sweat, ha!

The garden has been producing, though not as much as I had hoped.  I've decided that this year will be simply a year of learning, since it was our first attempt at a garden in sandy soil.  We have already learned lots, and will continue to figure it all out so that next year our harvest will be even bigger.  I am not disappointed, we have been getting plenty, but it hasn't quite been up to my expectations.  It's okay...expectations can rob us of joy if we let them, but I am choosing not to.  I am choosing to see all the blessings, and enjoying the journey!

I harvested our carrots last week...we had only planted one row, and most of them were harvested.  Success!  It's funny how carrots from the garden do not look perfect and uniform in size and shape like the ones you buy at the store.  Our organic gardening techniques work just fine, and the carrots are delicious even if they don't all look exactly the same!


Peeling and slicing...


This colander was full, but I forgot to snap a picture until there were just these few left!  Oops!


We took the peel and fed it to the chickens...they were thrilled.  Even they are enjoying the harvest!

The okra is beautiful so far.  It grows so quickly that I have to check the plants twice a day to make sure none of them are growing into giant okra.  Giant okra looks pretty, but it doesn't taste as good as the smaller ones, so we try to harvest them before they are HUGE!






The tomatoes are finally starting to have buds, and even some tiny green tomatoes are appearing on the vine, but not before we battled the horn worm!  YUK!  He came along and decided he would feast on the tomato plant, stripping every branch he came across.  Thankfully we caught him before too much damage was done.  Don't worry, we taught him a lesson...we fed him to the chickens!  Ha!  It won't be long before we are enjoying fresh tomatoes off the vine, and hopefully enough to can, too!  MMMM, homemade marinara and homemade salsa, here we come!



In other news, I rearranged the furniture and WOW it makes my living room look so much bigger!




The kids and I ventured to the park and had a great time.  Thankfully it wasn't so hot in this day...I am not sure that I see too many park dates in the near future...I sweat enough at home working, I'm not too interested in sweating at the park too!  Ha!








That's a little catch-up on the recent happenings around the homestead.  Check back soon for more of our fun adventures!


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Rainbows


One day not long ago, a pretty large rain shower came through our area, giving us a much needed supply of water.  RARELY will you hear Texans, especially farmers from this area of the world, complain about rain.  We love it, and will take whatever we can get!  Soon, once July and August arrive, we will be longing for more rain, as well as a break from the scorching temperatures.

Anyway, on this day, not only did we receive the blessing of rain, we also saw the beauty of a rainbow!  We stepped outside to get a better look, and realized that we could see the whole thing, and it perfectly framed my parents' farm across the road from ours.  Nathaniel was so good to take a quick picture of the reminder that day that God keeps His promises!







Check back soon for pictures from the garden!


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Sunflowers


The sun is shining and the flowers are blooming! 

Natalie planted a patch of the garden with sunflowers and she had her first bloom this week.  





Her bloom is stunning, and we can't wait to see the rest of her flowers as they begin blooming as well.  She actually planted her sunflowers in a large rectangular pattern so that once they are tall (which most of them are!) they will create a playhouse that she and Levi can play inside of.  It's working out great so far, and I will be sure to share pictures once the rest of the flowers bloom!

The very same day, as I was driving to get groceries, I came upon a HUGE field of sunflowers all in bloom.  It was breathtaking, as I had never seen an entire field of intentionally planted sunflowers.  On my way home I stopped for a few pictures, and then later after chores, we all went back as a family to admire God's handiwork.  These pictures are great, but they do not adequately portray the absolute BEAUTY that we beheld when we looked at the field.  I am sure I will be going that way a lot in the days to come, just so I can get a glimpse of the flowers again.  Take a look for yourself...





Check out the heart-shaped center on this one...LOVE!
 

If you look closely in the picture above, Nathaniel caught a bee in flight!
 





We couldn't walk out into the sunflowers without trespassing, so we had to stand on the side of the road, but we did get this one shot of Levi (bad angle)...the flowers were over his head!

Sunflowers have always been one of my favorites, and these were no exception.  If only I could have clipped a few small bouquets to put around the house in my old mason jars.  :)

There are many other happenings around the homestead, but they will have to wait.  Chores are waiting this morning, there is always work to be done.  Check back in soon for more Hen Hollow Homestead updates, and if you have a minute, leave us a comment.  We would love to know who is reading here! :)

Blessings from the Homestead!