Homestead in the making

So long since the last post but I have good reason! We have been BUSY!! Spring is in the air - in fact it's more than in the air. It would almost appear that summer is trying to make an early appearance. Rumor has it we are supposed to hit 95 by next week.

Some highlights from the Maycroft Clan:

• First and foremost, we are happy to announce we have a little one on the way! Baby is expected to arrive mid to late October of this year! 
  
• Apparently something is in the water here in the foothills, as Charlee (introduced here) has blessed us with 4 baby kittens who will be celebrating their one week birthday today! 

• I took a weekend to try something I've been dying to do for quite some time - make homemade bagels. Certainly a time consuming process but YUMMY!! I adapted this recipe. 

  

  Boiling away

  
  

  

  Plain, PepperJack and Parmesan Bagels pre-baking

  
  

  

  Hot and fresh from the oven. 

  
  
• Barry was able to make the Wild Turkey Jerky he's been wanting to make since his hunting adventure earlier this month. Quite the ordeal and overall successful, though next time he promises to monitor it a little closer. It got a bit "charred" in places. 

  

  Getting the coals to the right temperature

  
  

  

  The proud hunter and chef

  
  

  

  Spicy Teriyaki Wild Turkey Jerky smoking away on the grill 

• Best of all, Hubs started working on getting my vegetable beds up and going so we can get the garden planted. I could not be happier with how they are looking. So far only one is complete but the other is under construction in the barn. While he and Ethan were working away, I was able to get some seeds started so I have something to put in the beds!

  

  Grow seeds, grow!

  
  

  

  Construction begins

  
  

  

  Big, heavy and sturdy

  
  

  

  Hubs lining it up to help it lay flat

  
  

  

  The finished product. Beautiful redwood and corrugated roofing

  
  

  

  My cowboy filling the bottom of the beds

  
  

  

  Work until the sun goes down

Our little homestead is slowly coming together. We are so happy and so proud of the progress we have made. I can't wait until the garden is at it's full potential and the cows are out grazing in the pasture. Even better will be showing all of what we have learned to our little one :)

Mama, Daddy and baby. The boots were Hubs' when he was a baby

Peace Out :)

Fence Building: Pt 2

Well, the majority of the fence is complete. We still have to add the decorative fence that will separate the garden from the yard, but as we currently have no plants/garden, this is less of a priority. The weather has started to improve - daily temperatures ranging in the mid 70s to nearly 90 the other day! As usual, we have been out enjoying the weather and catching up on our outside chores.

Barry had the opportunity to get his first turkey (ever) with one of Hubs' friends. Very exciting. As I type, it is marinating to be made into turkey jerky.

The great hunter emerging from the woods

20 pound bird. Not bad for his first time!

Ethan helping Claude pull out the old fence separating what will become the garden

Look at Claude go!

Track-hoes make everything easier

Uh-oh, getting instructions from the big guy

Claude removing a small oak that the old fence was growing through

New and improved view from our back deck. Soon we will look out on our garden

Dragging the tree away

Completed perimeter fence

Nice and secure. Nothing in and nothing out

Mean looking barbed wire

Hubs added a nice man-gate so we can more easily access the pasture from the side yard

Scout is stealthy...hiding in the grass

Old fence, new fence....lots of fence

It's wonderful having the fence complete. Now we no longer have to worry about Allie, our small dog, getting out. She would always seem to find a hole in the previous fence (not hard since the mules mowed it down). This brings us one step closer to our garden which I am BEYOND excited about. We plan to take it slow this year - we have a lot going on and we don't want to waste money, get overwhelmed and take too much on. Best to start small. 

Peace Out :)