The White Family Homesteaders

     Who doesn't love fresh eggs these days? When we started our homestead we had our own chickens but had to get rid of them last summer.  Of course we missed having fresh breakfast but we also missed having our ladies (that's what we call them) around. But before we could get new chicks we needed a new chicken coop because we weren't able to keep them in the same location.  I'm not sure if you've seen the price of new coops but this Mama keeps her purse strings tight and I wasn't about to fork out that much cash.  So our plan was to build our own coop, that was until I was scrolling Facebook's marketplace.  Not sure who else scans FB marketplace for useful free items but this homestead Mama loves the free stuff.  Back to my story, I came across a free chicken coop that looked promising. Then the hard part convincing the hubby that we needed to stop what we were doing to run into town and pick it up. He was actually easily convinced and we all ju...

     Well its been well over a year since I last showed my face on here and I'm not sure where the time went. Last year was full of changes some good and some not so great.  But I won't bore you with the specifics, let's just say hello again and see what's new.      The biggest change of all is our new business venture, metal signs and decor. We take sheets of steel and turn them into signs, ornaments, home decor and even brackets using a plasma table.  Deciding on that purchase was life changing and one of the many reasons life was in the fast lane these last 18 months.  I had no idea what we were getting into or what the response would be, but so far we've had positive feedback. Plasma table hard at work, cutting some steel.      We've done some shows, selling our metal art and now we've got an online shop on etsy to check it out click here,  along with selling locally at The Coop de Ville and Forged n Found....

     I know I know it's been like two weeks and trust me I would have rather been blogging than what I was dealing with, the cold from hell.  I've had colds before who hasn't, but this isn't like any other cold it has like super powers.   It started on Memorial day with lil man just having an itty bitty cough, next day full cold and since it's trickled down the whole family.  Little lady was second, then myself, and now it has taken over poor Papa.  Of course when it took over me it was the beginning of Papa's work week.  Being a mom is a hard job but when you're sick and the kids are sick it becomes ten times worse plus you add the chores of the homestead and it feels like I'm being asked to climb a mountain. Plants keeping growing even when we're sick.      I've found myself jealous at times of some of the bigger homestead/farms we follow on Instagram until I felt like I was dying then I was so happy we're just starti...

     I can't believe I didn't publish last week's blog until this week, I think we might have a bit too much going on right now.  The days and weeks are flying by and I don't even know what day it is.  I'm hoping last week was the worst of it and now it will be smooth sailing.  It all started with Papa's work schedule changing, so it put the whole week out of whack.  Then lil man had preschool graduation, it was his last week of school, I needed a touch up at the salon, we picked up our bees which were delayed by a week so that was a wrench in our plans and had to finish up more metal art for the market and prep everything for market day.  Oh plus we had to get more tomatoes into the garden, make new cages for the raised beds, sow more seeds because some hungry creature ate my edamame, plus our everyday chores like cooking and cleaning.  The week rushed by and now a new week is starting. One of many tomato holes, epsom salt in.   ...

        Oops I missed a week, well there was Mother's day and I did a lot of non homesteading things like surprising my mom with a day trip to the beach and then celebrating the next day with my little family which did include gardening so blog went to backseat last week.  Oh right and then there was this tiny little thing that happened, our FIRST MARKET DAY.  I'm sure glad that first day is over, now we know what to expect and how things shall go from now on.  Plus I was so anxious and had so many butterflies I was almost making myself sick.  I don't do well with new experiences, I had the feeling like it was a first day of a new job or first day of school and had my nerves all wound up.      Papa had to work the day before so I was in charge of making sure the last little things were done, for instance pricing signs, list of everything going, and everything organized ready to be loaded up.  I think because he wasn't ho...

     The hardest job besides being a mom is being Papa's right hand gal or assistant.  Now don't misread what I wrote it isn't him that makes it hard it's all the duties and responsibilities that come along with the job.  Since we've been a couple I've been helping him with all types of jobs be it car repairs, plumbing, carpentry and the list goes on.  I truly love helping him because it makes his life easier and gets the project done faster but I also learn new skills along the way.  So here's my insight on being a good assistant and what comes along with it. Helping spread out soil.      The most important skill you can bring to this job is anticipation.  So what does that mean?  It means knowing what he/she will need next, be it the drill with a screw or the next piece of lumber.  Me being on my A game and just handing it to him without him telling me, I believe and I know he'll back me up is the most helpful...

      Working on the homestead usually means getting projects done that aren't close to the house or garage, usually building or repairing things somewhere on the property.  Over the years even before homesteading we've compiled a list of rules to follow to stay safe or just plainly get a job done without interruptions.  I hope you find these rules as helpful as McGee and DiNozzo found Gibbs' rules to be and if you don't understand my reference head over to Netflix and start binge watching NCIS.      So the first rule is one that Papa had to teach me about when we were first courting.  When we first met I was what he called a city girl and didn't know much of anything.  You think I'm joking but I lived quite a sheltered life, so when we met I started picking up some new skills.  Anyhoo, dating a mechanic means spending quality time in a garage or under a car or truck and using power tools including an air compressor.  That's ...

     Drum roll please...the greenhouse is finished, not just a few more things to do but all the way done.  I've been filling it up with my plants and I look around and I'm still in shock that we built it from some pieces of lumber.  The hubby did most of the work but without an awesome assistant he still might be working on it, just kidding. I never imagined us actually building one, we have what the old owners left behind and I was alright with it.  Now looking at my oh so beautiful barn style greenhouse I can't believe I would have settled for less. The old one was like a quarter of the size, leaking all over, dark and squirrels were constantly sneaking in.  Here's the  link  to the plans we used, thanks  Ana White  for the awesome plans. It's a beauty and filling up fast.      The last few touches were completed this week...spray foam insulation, shelves, door trim, and door threshold.  We bought a ...

     An important aspect of being a homesteader I believe is being able to or at least not afraid of trying to repair broken down equipment.  It's not only something that needs to be done on the homestead but just in adult life in general.  This week Papa saved us a lot of money by fixing the weed wacker, pressure washer and air compressor.  First we went down to the garden to clear up the rows in between the beds of all the obnoxious weeds but the darn weed wacker just wouldn't run right...so off to the side it laid to be checked out later.  When I was working on cleaning up the greenhouse door we set up the pressure washer to easily get off most of the chipped paint but the once so powerful pressure washer wouldn't stay on, and out came the regular hose.  Then when I was sanding and scraping off the debris and gunk off the door I was using the air compressor for easy air clean up but then I smelt plastic burning so I shut it off until Papa could...