Calf #2 & #3

Found this little cutie on Saturday morning! Another heifer!!

Then found this one when we got here today.  Another heifer!!

Checked on her a few hours later and weren't sure that she had nursed,  so we loaded her up and brought her to the lot. Of course she had to pee all down my leg!!

After working with her for a little while,  Jeff got her nursing. We'll leave them in the lot overnight just to keep an eye on them.

Can't believe that a month has past!!

So much has been going on here on the farm! Lots of pictures to see!😊

We attended this year's Mother Earth News Fair in Belton,  Tx . Saw Marty Raney and Kaytlynn got to love on a baby goat!

The tomatoes are growing , but way too slow this year.😣

Made a batch of homemade chicken stock.  This is SO  easy to do and tastes much better than storebought.  Not to mention the health benefits!

Went to Lake Jackson for one of Peyton's baseball games.  He played an amazing game 

 He's getting so good!

We put out 2 swarm catch honey bee hives at the beginning of the week. Hoping to catch some free bees!🐝

And we had the first calf of the year born this week. A little heifer! She is black , shiny and tiny!! Maloo did a good job! Now she needs a name - the letter s this year 

Been busy getting the raised beds up and going. We ate our first salad this week from them. Wonderful taste! Jeff opened the beehive in the pasture yesterday and they have a little honey! Will need to add a super in a week. And will check on the ones in Coldspring later today. Along with the other 2 cows that are due to calve at any moment! Have another batch of eggs in the incubator,  the last ones were rotten 😲, 12 of these are green eggs , so hoping for a good hatch.  Borrowed an egg turner this time and it sure makes it easier to do! Also have made a trip to the beach,  but it's so wet that it's hard to enjoy yourselves . Planning to get the porch built and dirt hauled in soon. Well need to get busy,  hopefully will catch up quicker in the next week!

Busy Bees!!

The girls are coming and going today! They are very active and loving this 75+ degree day. So many of them that I couldn't get any closer to take pictures; they let me know that I was close enough!🤔😒🐝🐝

January 28-February 1, 2020-BUSY!!

Been busy around here this last week. Started out making spicy, hot ketchup for the first time. It was fun to make and not too much trouble; will make it again this summer when our garden veggies are ripe. Have a little over $8 in it, so not too bad for 5 pints. I couldn't stand to throw the thick paste looking leftovers out, so I canned them up for tomato paste. But this stuff is HOT; might leave the habanero peppers out next time?

                                                                             

The next day I decided to make homemade kolaches; I'd never tried this one either... Kylee was home sick from school, so I had her and Jordan helping me out! They came out really good, but next time I won't cook them near as long.

On Friday we stopped by the feed store in Coldspring and picked up 10 lbs of seed potatoes-could NOT believe they were 90 cents a pound! WHAT!!!! Also picked up a few herbs, brocolli, cabbage and lettuce plants.

Saturday morning brought with it hog butchering day! YEAH!! Had lots of help from Alana and some of the grandkids, so it didn't take too long, but still a long day for us. But so worth it!

Sunday morning Jeff got the link sausage out of the smokehouse and I got the last of the fat rendered out. Ended up with 45 lbs of sausage and 6 1/2 quarts of lard to fry fish in and for making biscuits! Yummy! And the bacon is curing in the refrigerator!!

Then today Jeff got the garden tilled up and ready to plant potatoes next week. The ground looks and smells so good!

Got the Black Krim tomato seeds planted yesterday.  Then my seed order came in, so this morning got Homestead and Floradade planted.  Floradade is the new variety for this year,  hopefully they'll do great here in East Texas!

Made cookies today :

 Then 2 loaves of bread:

 Then chicken spaghetti for supper!

Been working getting our raised beds cleaned up and ready to plant.  Got snow peas,  beets and spinach in today ahead of tomorrow's expected rain.

Baby chick hatch not good. Only had 5 hatch,  but 1 has died. Will set up the incubator again in a few weeks. 

We've decided to go to the Mother Earth News Fair in Belton this year.  We skipped last year,  but looking forward to it this time around and Kaytlynn is going with us!! 

Only at our farm! He finally got the legs stuck in the fence and Jeff was able to pull it off his head. Never a dull moment!!