2019 Homestead Goals!

Silly duck! I just gave them water in this
bowl and he decided it is time to bathe!

Finally! Spring is here! The Pussywillow tree has started to bloom, the trees are budding, and I've caught a few peeks of green coming from the ground as my perennials have decided to make an appearance! 
This time of the year has it dreaming of what we would like to get done around here. 

5 goals at this time in no particular order are:

1) More raised beds- These turned out to be invaluable for me last year. Both for ease of weeding, gathering, and so I didn't have to kneel too much.

2) Moving Lt. Dan the Wonder Goat out of the garden after we burn the prairie. Also, making his door opening a wee bit bigger. He has grown quite a bit since we got him.

3) Make a new portable coop/revamp the old one? This is still up on the air. In the meantime, Mr. Awesome make a poop board, move the roosts for more room for the girls, and we will have two separate entrances for the seasons(Alternating to give the grass time to come back).

4) Fix siding on house/scrape/paint house/put windows in back rooms.

5) Make temporary porch on the back of the house until we are ready to take back steps out.

I have been gathering my seeds and am anxious to start planting. Every year I end up planting too early. This year I didn't start crazy early. I have a handful started. I am planning on embracing Winter Sowing next season. 

I spurlged and bought a few bulbs of Dishplate Dahlia's and another type. These I will keep in the fenced in garden. It makes no sense to plant too many things around the house as I originally wanted to. Chickens don't care how carefully you organized and planted seeds and bulbs. For them they see you digging in the dirt and they are thinking, "Crazy Human is finding food for me!" or "Crazy Human is making a nice spot for me to dust bathe in!" I've thrown in the white flag and decided to keep the garden for pretty stuff. 

We (Do you like that "We"? What I mean is Mr. Awesome will...) work on the roof issues too. Terry was able to borrow a lift to fix the loss of the slate tiles on the roof. He patched on a side and will begin working his way around. There is hope we can borrow this for another week. It has been super windy or rainy. 

Rainy reminds me of getting stuck in the driveway. Yes, I got stuck! Not just a little stuck but "Holy moon pies! What did you do!".  It was a mess but thankfully Mr. Awesome was able to use the winch to get me out. Check my Instagram feed on the left side bar for a picture of the pit I made. Did I mention we need to have a load of rock delivered to help? 

When Terry came home his face was priceless. I was a bundle of nerves but that melted away when he saw how badly Randy was stuck (Yes, we name a lot of things around the house. Jess named Randy- it's her car. Honestly, we can't be the only people that name, "Stuff"!) 

Find me here-
amazon.com/author/melindakunst

I have been writing again and hope to have my fourth book ready for print before the end of the year. I'm really excited about this one. To be honest, this is going to be my favorite so far. If you haven't heard how we had gotten started our homesteading journey you will like this! The story is a mix of our homesteading adventures as city folks and a sprinkling of how doing this saved my sanity during hard times. Check out my Author page for updates and appearances- Melinda Kunst Author


There are more goals but these are the few we are talking are starting on now. What are you working on? 

Care to connect? Find us on FB God's Breath Farm. 

And don't forget to check out our YouTube channel Blessmeplease09 on YouTube! I've found several videos I had forgotten to upload and now we have 100+ multi-niche videos available! I believe I have another handful that needs to go up soon too. Betcha didn't know I'm a procrastinator. 

 

Perhaps you know a woman that is in emotional pain from loss, abuse, suicide, or depression please view my blog at www.hopewhentherewasnone.blogspot.com and I have a support group for women that you can connect with, find it on my FB page Hope when there was none

Rhett & Miz. Scarlett- Cayuga Ducks

Have a great day!

BIG HUGS!

Mel

Call him Patchy the Pirate...

Sorry for the picture fuzz. Mini Man was kind enough to grab a picture of Mr. Duck looking all torn and bloody from a skirmish between himself and Fred the Rooster. Fred lost a Spur in the fiasco.

Here's the story. The small door on the coop for the hens is wood, it swelled and wouldn't open. Peanut has been doing a great job taking care of the crew since I have been healing from "The great bounce house injury" but the big door that she opened instead closed leaving the Fred and crew to head over the Abbey (Duck Truck).

Peanut wanders out after dark, saw that they were all huddled in the Abbey and closed them up for the night. The next morning Mr. Awesome saw the carnage. Mr. Duck had blood all along side his head, pictured here and it appears his eye is badly injured. I hobbled out today and saw that it looks like he was just pecked quite a bit and he will not lose his eye. Both Fred and Mr. Duck are not being housed together anymore. Peanut feels terrible about the situation. I do have to have some help rounding him up to treat it so it doesn't get infected. I'm hoping we don't have to throw him in the pot for dinner, but if it comes to that...

Sadly, we have lost 5 Hens due to the extreme cold weather and I found out I lost my beehive. I do have another package coming and hope to order a second as well. We will be able to glean left over honey and beeswax.

We are all pretty heartbroken over all of these losses. But, it is a fact of life here on a farm. You lose animals or they get sick or in the case between Fred and Mr. Duck it's pretty gruesome. Why I love to share pictures of the fuzzy cuteness I am showing the some of the dirty and grim times.

We also had some heavy rains a few weeks back. The light in the kitchen leaked! We have a roof leak and it came in so hard and for such a long time the leak traveled down from the attic and down. My strategic placement of pans and totes came in handy but it came with such fierceness Mr. Awesome had to empty them out several times. We have a 5 gallon container handy and that was filled and emptied 5 times over the course of 2 days. That is A LOT for us.

There is a blessing that we didn't have the damage that many of the surrounding towns did. We are on a bit of a hill so that helps immensely!

Mr. Awesome will be making some raised beds soon for me. I have order some seeds soon! I have more herbs and speciality plants for tackling my health issues. We can't wait for Spring. I'm sure your ready too! Last week I noticed the Redwing Blackbirds were back in the area, the next day Seagulls, those creepy Turkey Buzzards, and my favorite Robins!

In homeschooling news I scored a 6 activity Smithsonian Science set that was New in the box from Goodwill. It includes a Crystal growing kit, Weather Station, Earth model, Bug Eco house, Dinosaur dig (pictured) and a Volcano. WAHOO! Mini Man has been thrilled and my intention was to use the set over a 6 week period but he has been so gung ho to tackle the projects I didn't have the heart to say no. That smile says it all!





China Doll (in the red shirt) is having a birthday tomorrow, I can not believe this Lady is going to be 20 years old. Time is flying by so fast and I'm not sure where it went.

Having suffered from PTSD, Anxiety, Postpartum, chronic illness, cutting, and Depression she has blossomed and transformed in the past year. I am so proud of her and how far she has come. The road to healing is not over and she is beginning her own healing path.


In other news, I checked out a place for rent for a potential Antique shop. Now, I'm not saying we are opening one. It was a random idea from Mr. Awesome. There are so many projects needed in and around the house, my little shop on the farm may take awhile longer. While I like the idea I am not sure about shelling out a huge amount of money for rent. I plan on setting up at the upcoming Jasper County Flea Market in April! I'll also be toting copies of my book with me for purchase. Which brings me to my next thought I just dropped onto my better half's lap...

A book tour! I never really had a book launch. I stumbled on a inspiring page by author Kyna Bryn . She shares her raw story of survival. On her page I noticed she does a bunch of Book Tours. Please check out here story.

I have no idea why I didn't think of it before. She has been very kind and patient enough to answer questions for me about this. I will start calling, planning and scheduling for the Summer months to a circuit. My knee should be a bunch better by then and Peanut will be off school so this will work out well. I was asked to speak at a group in the Fall about Domestic Violence. God is good! If you have any suggestions or ideas for a place to do a book signing at please let me know. 

I try not to share too much about my past here. Abuse is not a pretty subject. Honestly, I would rather share pretty flowers, herbs, fuzzy chicks and feathered animals but the Lord has other plans for me. I'm not sure what He has in store for me but His plans are better than mine.

Last week I shared on social media that I was able to take 100% of the royalties from my book sales and I donated them to a local group that supports Survivors/Victims of abuse find them here- Heart to Heart Outreach! HAPPY DANCE! Thank you for purchasing my book! I greatly appreciate it.

I have also been able to share my book in PDF form to Survivors as well at no charge. My goal in writing my book was not to slam my ex or profit from my past. I wanted to share my story so others would know they are not alone. I am not sharing this to boost or for a big head. I am sharing how God's hand has worked in my life.

That is it in a nutshell! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are! Thanks for listening from our home to yours...

BIG HUGS,

Mel & Mr. Awesome

P.S.- If you are seeking information or immediate help for surviving abuse contact The Hotline or your local police department. 

I am always happy to talk to you! Whether you need to vent, cry or just bounce ideas off of. Email me at blessmeplz@gmail.com or visit- Hope when there was none or my FB page Hope where there was none FB .You can also purchase my book, "Call me Master" by Melinda Kunst, on Amazon, Kindle, and Nook!

Dreaming of Spring...

Horray! The snow is just about gone after several weeks of bitter cold. The chickens have finally ventured out today for the first time in a long time.

Mr. Awesome purchased a few flock blocks for the birds and ducks to nibble on while they hunkered down in the coop and duck abbey.

The temps over the past few days are 50 degrees! Amazing!

I am sad to say we did lose 3 chickens bringing our flock to 8 chickens and our 5 ducks did survive. I was worried!


Mr. Awesome and I discussed investing in or making an incubator to hatch our own chicks. There is also the option of going up to the local farm auction on Fridays to bid on some. We are still considering sheep and now Dexter Cow(s). We will see!

I'm happy the bitter cold is no longer with us. The furnace was running quite a bit. We hadn't put plastic on the windows and some other insulation projects kind of fell to the wayside due to my fantastic knee boo-boo and just because Mr. Awesome is just plumb tired after a long work day.

We discussed plans for the garden with no idea if I need surgery or not. I will find out the news on Feb 2nd. I've gone out a few days ago to present a Vision Board class for a few hours. I was able to manipulate the stairs with my trusty buddy right beside me in case things went wonky.

To break my need to get out, he planned on getting me out of the house soon. I'm anxious and nervous. I admit to being gun shy to put weight on my leg. Oh, I'm doing my therapy exercises, but I'm still quite nervous. My knee and leg no longer feel like jelly. Thank goodness! The swelling has gone down quite a bit and I took my own shower without any aid last week. YAY ME!

So, back to plans. My plans for the year are totally different then his. My little antique shop will be placed on hold while I heal and we work on other pressing projects such as:

Starting on the pond
Using the dirt from the pond to grade along the house
There are some old piles of rubble and glass that need to be cleaned up
Something done about the valley or entire roof of the house
Burning the yard
Revamp or new animal cages/coops
Create a loft for hay/straw in the barn
Insulate
Move the Godherd the schoolbus to a new location
Make raised beds for the garden

There are a few more things as well.  I'm excited and anxious to see what else happens this year.

Homeschooling has been fun. I can't say I'm unschooling but I'm not following the usual curriculum but hope to purchase something for the 2018-2019 school year. I also haven't totally decided if we are just going to school year around or break for summer.


Ah! I can't wait for Spring! How about you?

Big Hugs,
Mel

A year of first's!

I had saw another post on another blog and for a bit I have been thinking about my little one and the girls with experiencing life and all of it's glory.

"First's"

What do I mean? Kalven is just starting to have first experiences with snow, holidays cutting teeth and so on! The girls are starting to come out of their shells!

She had her first shaving experience when she was 10. I tried to tell her it was a task that can be a pain in the butt. But peer pressure of course and she wanted to try. So I armed her with a new razor, shaving cream and lotion. I told and showed her how. So away I went for her to start her new grown up girl thing. It took her about an hour to shave one leg. She came out of the shower cold and with patchy hair legs from the spots she missed. I didn't laugh but tried to reassure her it would get easier with practice. After a week of itchy legs from it growing back she decided it was for the birds. Yea!

Jess had put on a little makeup this weekend. She will be 13 next month, the choice to do so was because I remember my first make up experience. Hiding my makeup so my mom wouldn't find out. I was 13 once too as strange as that is for my kids to know I was once a kid.

After much trial and error Jess decided make up can wait for a bit, it's too hard to put on, she keeps blinking when she puts anything on her eyes. I am happy she is waiting.

Jess had her "first" boy to ask her out. She told us and asked what to do. We asked her what does she think she should tell this young man. She said she wanted to tell him no because she didn't want to date yet. Yea! I don't want her to date anyone for a long time after 16. The next day she said she told him she liked him but wanted to be friends and if he wanted to hang out with her and friends (in a group) that would be fine and that they were too young to date. I am proud of her!

I had my chance at "First's" in school but some of them I blew off or I was not confident enough. I hate to say I want to live through my children, but I want them to understand that many times there are no re-do's with life. Definately not school- unless your held back I suppose...

Anyway, there will be a first hug, kiss, dance, flower from a admirer, and so on...

I might have missed out on my first's when I was younger but after I met Terry he told me about a Bucket List and I happily jotted down a long list of things I would like to do before I kicked the bucket (God willing that is a long time away).

A first's for me-
I learned to play chess (I am still learning! Terry and the girls whip my butt!)

I went in a boat!

I paddled a kayak!

I finished a beer and have tried about over 10 different one's in the time Terry and I have been together. Not all the time every once in a while.)

I blogged without having to worry about editing my posts- A first for me in 20 years!

I finished school! Medical Assistant! Now if I can only find a job!

My list goes on and on.

I am not done with my "Grown up First's", I intend to do more! I tell the girls they are capable of doing anything they set their minds to! They can do and be anything they want to! Take this life you have and do something great! Anyone can do this! It's your life what do you want to do? Create the life you want to live and live life as though it's your last day. Love the life you are in, it's all you got!

My bucket list!

Listen to some big band music, jazz or Irish band or Celtic music or classical
I've always wanted to go to an Indian reservation
I want to see a civil war re-enactment
Go to Amish country
Stay at a Bed and Breakfast for the weekend
Looking at the architecture downtown or FLW's home
Ren Fest
Charity Ball or go to somewhere so I can get dressed up and go and feel like a princess
Go to worlds longest garage sale
A concert maybe outdoors (free would be great)**** Took a small trip and heard
Go to island or on a cruise was talking about it and it sounds lovely
Take a ride on a train to nowhere and see what's there. (Yes man)
Take vocal lessons
Learn to play piano
Tubing on a calm stream
Air Zoo in MI
Find a field of flowers or tall grass to walk in
Go to see weird and funky sight seeing places along the road. Like the biggest ball of twine or Toy museum
Garage Mahal in Whiting!
Travel to other US states
Buckley Homestead- Lowell, IN
House on the Rock in WI Galena
Ireland
Australia
Backpacking through Europe- I wanted to do that when I was a kid
See a Round Barn
Dye part or all of my hair pink! I have wanted to do that since I was a teen and for some reason this has stayed with me for years. Yea, I'm a goober!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Things I have done or am working on-
Camping
Fishing
Walking
Canoeing
Snorkeling
Make a sand castle
Took the kids out of the state they have never been to
Took kids to beach for the first time
Fancy dinner with a waiter, white table cloths and so on
Learn to play chess
Go on a picnic!
Enrolled in a few classes
To go see a play, doesn't have to be a Broadway play or musical
Dunes or Turkey Run, or Mt. Baldy
Bake Christmas cookies
Hiking
Go to Grant Park and just look at the fountain or read a book there.