This and That

     It's spring again!  One of my favorite times of year.  Everything looks promising in the spring, doesn't it? 
     Last week we just picked up our first successfully raised steer, Sir Loin, from the butcher.  It is so nice to have a freezer FULL of meat again.  But it is sad to no longer have Sir Loin's company.  We look forward to raising another steer again sometime in the near future, we hope.
     Our garden is only partially planted, but I'm OK with what we have so far.  We have lettuce, onions, garlic, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, and bell peppers.  I tend to want to plant too much, and then once the summer heat hits, have a hard time keeping up with all the weeding/watering/harvesting/preserving. 
     I'm excited to have a bunch of new chickens as well!  We have 10 hens currently laying and one rooster with a lovely crow - that flock is already established.  But we ordered another 26 chickens in February to help boost our egg supply.  I think we are down to about 20 (after losing a few, and giving some away), but they are growing so fast.  I'm expecting them to start laying around July.  It'll be wonderful to have all those eggs!
     Our youngest child, Charity, is 6 months old now, and such a pleasant baby.  She is army-crawling around the house, faster everyday, and keeping us on our toes with all the things she likes to find and put in her mouth.  The children all love taking care of her.  What a blessing she is!
     This winter my husband repaired the barn out back so we have a place to store some tools.  It is so nice to be able to clear some things out of our shed, which was already over-crowded.  He has recently been busy building a new coop for our new flock of chickens.  They are quickly outgrowing the one they are in now.  We are hoping this new one will be easier to move.
     I am in the process of switching out everyone's wardrobe.  I'm also reorganizing our files, which is so overwhelming and time consuming, but I'm betting it will be worth it. The children are finishing up their year of homeschool.  The 8 year old should be finished by the time of the homeschool bookfair, Mother's Day weekend, the 6 year old has finished first grade and eagerly began working on some second grade work, 4 year old is working through her Bob books and reading so well.  I'm planning to do ACE kindergarten with both the 3 year old and the 4 year old, starting this summer.  I have great memories of doing kindergarten with both boys a few years back, and I'm looking forward to that special time with the girls.  It is a busy time, since the kindergarten work requires my full attention, so I'm hoping that things won't get too behind around here.  I'll just have to take breaks as necessary to keep the ship running. :)