I have been so busy in all the good ways. I have had much more focus the past couple of weeks. I’ve done a lot of work on our yard (front and back), but we still have SO much work to do. I’m here for it, though!
Building Up My Homestead (since we moved)
I have been slowly working on re-building my homestead since we moved. We had to leave behind our chickens, our amazing chicken coop, my raised beds (that I spent a lot of time building), etc. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to even live that life again once we moved, but I have decided that it’s for me after all. I was trying to shed the “label,” but I just really enjoy that way of life! It’s just part of me. My friend said, “I don’t think you can NOT have chickens.” She’s right! I just enjoy that way of life so much! I am coming at it a bit differently this time, and it’s a work-in-progress, but I’m happy with where I am at the moment.
We have eight chickens this time. We had double that last year, but I am content with the amount and the breeds that we have! We have four Easter Eggers, two Speckled Sussex, and two Golden Sex-Link. Robert built a smaller coop, but it is very functional and practical. The chickens have a pretty small chicken run, but it’ll work for now. It’s enclosed because here in the mountains, we have different predators including owls (that are out during the day!) and chicken hawks. They have been safe!
Our front yard was in pretty rough shape, but we have been working on it! I still have more work that I want to do, but we will get there.
Robert mowed and poured mulch into the flower beds. We can’t burn here, so the camp makes the wood into mulch! I trimmed the lilac bushes (they aren’t amazing, but they were out of control!), spread the mulch out, and weeded.
Our back deck is in pretty bad shape. We at least need to sand and paint it but probably need to just re-build it. For now, we will just make due. We can only do so much at once! I created a little container garden using fabric bags, and the plants seem to be doing well! I have five tomato plants, one red bell pepper, one yellow bell pepper, two jalapeno plants, 2 zucchini plants, basil, and lavender. I will be picking up some cages today for the tomatoes and peppers!
My friend gave us a table and chairs for our back deck, and it has been SO amazing having a place to hang out on the deck! It’s really nice here most of the time in the summer, so it has been perfect.
Robert took out a really old swing set, and we are slowly working on our yard. I’ve decided to make a little garden at the back fence eventually. It’s going to take some work, but it’ll be worth it! We have a spot with “good dirt” that Robert can bring over, then I add in bags of compost. I am also going to hand-till the ground before we pour dirt into the garden area. It’s going to take some work, but I actually love the work. I’ll update as I get the yard looking better and the garden completed! I’m not sure if the garden in the yard will happen this summer, but it’ll happen eventually.
I have been working on getting back to making things from scratch again! I have decided to go back to my “old” way of doing kombucha because the continuous brew doesn’t seem to work for me! I have been baking breads again- sourdough and whole wheat yeast bread. I made some amazing whole wheat pumpkin banana muffins the other day. I made homemade pizza for friends last weekend and homemade buns for hamburgers with our friends this week. I also made homemade peach cobbler!
Personal Growth
I struggled to get back into a routine after our travels to Texas, but I’m getting back there! I was thinking that I didn’t want to train for races, but I’ve decided to train for shorter races that have less people. Training for races helps me stay consistent with my running! I also try to do about 3 Street Parking workouts a week, do some hiking at least once a week, and get in plenty of steps! I’ve been getting an average of 10,000 steps per day the past few months. I hope I can keep up with that!
It is so cool to see how far I’ve come! It’s hard to believe that I’m almost 42! I look like I’m aging backwards.
Homeschooling Planning/Prep
I have made a decision about how I want to make our schedule work to be able to homeschool and work Outdoor Education at our camp in the fall. I have told my boss that we won’t be available until after lunch on M/W/F. The boys and I will do our Family Studies during this time, and they will complete their independent work when they have time. After Outdoor Ed, we will do Family Studies every week-day except for Fridays.
I have started the process of planning for the fall using a simple outline/table. I will create things over the summer as well. I’ll share what I make as I make things! I have updated my Homeschool page to see what resources I use!
Serving at Camp
Before we left for Texas, I was deep into challenge course training. I was working full time hours for a bit. Since we got back, I have only been working a little here and there which has been helpful for me actually. This past week I worked the leather craft activity which was SO fun! I also helped with rec activity sign ups. Next week I’ll be working the challenge course from 1:00-6:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I’m excited!
Family Stuff
This has been a big month or so. Karis officially graduated. We had several celebrations for her. One here at camp and two in Texas. She will be going to Texas Tech in a few short months!
We got to see Karis’s friend graduate while we were visiting, and we also visited our old camp. It was good to see everyone!
Ethan turned 16 on Friday! I took him out for lunch and took him shopping. I had also already bought him his gifts of choice.
The kids are growing in all the ways. It has been so cool to watch.
Ethan is going on a mission trip this week! It’s his first one. He’s nervous, but we are excited for him!
Our kids are looking so grown up!
Adventure
I have been trying to get out hiking more lately, and today Robert, our friend, Ethan, and I went rock climbing!
These are pictures from my hike last week. It was a little over 3 miles total. When I was up on our mountain, I noticed fire in the distance which I found out was a controlled burn. It was crazy to see up there, though!
It was hot while rock climbing. It has been shocking to me that it even gets hot here! But, in Colorado Springs, it was in the upper 90s on Sunday. It was still awesome, though!
Today is going to be a pretty cool day which I’m grateful for! I will be working T-Th all afternoon!
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