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 :)

Charlee the Barn Cat

I feel it is fairly evident that I love our animals. I find that I post or talk about them frequently. The good news? I'm posting new pics!

Hubs and I had been discussing getting an outside only cat for a while, however we were fairly adamant that we wanted to adopt or rescue one. It needed to get along with our other animals and have a good personality. That's risky with a cat.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Charlee outside one of the schools sites I work at. I spoke to the secretary about her and found that she (the secretary) had been feeding her for over a week and that Charlee was sleeping up in a tree every night. The secretary was worried about her because she would wander somewhat near the parking lot and of course there are the risks of cars. After speaking to Hubs, we decided to give her a try.

So far so good! She's got quite an interesting personality. She seems resigned to our big dog, Scout. Doesn't love him and sometimes (depending on her mood) will arch her back at him, but mostly she just tolerates him and gives him the evil eye. Scout, on the other hand, is the biggest, goofiest dog ever who just wants to be friends and lick her in the face. 

When Hubs and the boys were out building the fence, she followed them around watching them. Similar to a dog! Quite the chatty little thing when she gets her food, she will run ahead of us and wait patiently until we fill her bowl. I hope that she grows out of that obsession with food, but understand that it's likely left over from her stray-cat days. 

Hanging with the addition

Charlee's shocked expression. I'm not sure if it's because the flash accidentally went off or because she saw Scout sneaking into the barn to say hi. 

Scout just chillin'....He has no idea they aren't best friends

Finally she ventured from the barn to explore the yard

Crazy gold eyes. Oh, and little black mustache much like Charlie Chaplin

The adjustment seems to be going well. I'm enjoying having another cat around. Her formal name is Charlette (NOT Charlotte) Mrow Maycroft. When she's in trouble we pull out the big guns and use the full name. So far that hasn't happened TOO many times.....

Peace Out :)

My Scoot

When I say "My Scoot" at my house, the family knows that what I actually mean is "My Scout" who really is my dog. And by my, I mean all of ours but I choose to call him mine because I found him. If we're going to be completely honest, the pup probably has me lowest on the totem pole EXCEPT when it's that time of evening and I'm cooking in the kitchen.

That's the time he really shows his love. He has gotten into the habit as of late of laying on the kitchen floor while I cook dinner. He has done it for a while, and used to lay at my feet while I stood at the stove. Needless to say, this worried me a lot because I was constantly making sure I wasn't dripping or dropping hot items on to his cute head.

Now, he's discovered the nice little rug that is under the two-seater table in the kitchen. This is his new home.

Look at that face

Even when he's outside, he's keeping an eye on things. He's the best dog a family could ask for. Loves his boys like no other, watches their every move. He's always up for a game of "stick" and recently has started playing soccer with the cat!

Our own livestock guard dog

Can you tell how much I adore this dog? 

Peace Out :)