Canning, Dehydrating and Freezing the Bounty...

The past 2 weeks have been a flurry of harvesting and processing the abundant bounty we've been blessed to receive, and there is plenty more still on the vines/tree!

We started the week with 12 pints of mushroom Spaghetti Sauce using our organically grown heirloom "Roma" tomatoes we grew from seed, as well as herbs grown ourselves. This was my first attempt at…

Although we have made many happy landscaping discoveries this summer (Peonies, Iris, Lilacs, Snowball Bush, Rose of Sharon and more!) at our new homestead, the front landscaping around the house and deck had been completely neglected by the previous owners. With all of the other projects going on throughout the spring and early summer, I too, neglected it. BUT, the good news is-  it's not too late to get your flower beds ready for next year, and it's a great time to save money by purchasing…

Well, the inspections for the bank and local municipality have been completed, and all of our rehab work has been approved! We're just waiting on the final disbursement check so that we can pay our roofer. It has been quite the ordeal, but well worth it a little headache and a lot of elbow grease in the end!

I had mentioned before that our riding lawnmower had quit... Well, this past weekend, we were given a riding mower, which we desperately needed, as "payment" from a friend of ours…

Over the weekend, we acquired a 2 year old Boer/Pygmy Whether named Houdini. He is stubborn and tries to get out the gate, but extremely friendly and will follow you around like a dog :) All of the 5 older hens seem to be laying now, and the 4 younger gals should be large enough to start getting acquainted with them in a few weeks! 

I'm taking a break from the last of the barn painting... Scorching 89 degrees, but thankfully I'm working on the shaded north side/rear.

Without…