Monday, June 06, 2011

Moving ... Again ...

We're moving again ... blog wise, that is ...


We moved to the new farm and are busy with LIVING LIFE on the farm ... so, rather than posting here, we will be posting about our adventures and so much more on our Two By Two Farm blog ...


 ... school, Cherubs, life, farm, gardens, critters, adventures ...


Please join us there from now on.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Busy ... Busy ... Busy

It's been a while ... a long while ... a BUSY while.

We fenced ... we packed ... we hauled ... we moved ... and then began the process of getting settled.  We're not "settled" completely (yes, there are still piles in a few places) because we've been busy mowing and trimming and taming the beautiful land here, and have been enjoying the springtime.

We have planned two vegetable gardens this year.  The first is close to the house and is 20x62.  We planted it this weekend -- yellow squash, zucchini, a few green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, spinach, eggplant, and a few herbs.  The second garden is down the driveway a bit and is quite a bit larger at 130 x 70.  It will have more squash (yellow, zucchini, butternut, spaghetti, scallop, and a few others), more green beans, lots of sweet corn, two types of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.  Cherub 3 also found pumpkin seeds and wanted to give them a try ... small pumpkins and then a package of mammoth pumpkins that claims it'll produce a 200+ pound fruit.  (I am not exactly sure what we're going to DO with a 200+ pound pumpkin though ... ha !)

In the middle of it all, the boys have been busy with Scouts (meetings, outings, planning), and the girls have been busy horse'n around (lessons, riding working our horses, and Cherub 2's volunteering at an equestrian therapy center).  The bigger boys had a great time camping (Spring Camporee), Cherub 6 has been training (boxing) and has had a few matches, and the girls attended a great Trail Clinic and their first Horse Show (4H).

Needless to say, we've been in a bit of a whirlwind.

So -- what's up next ?

There's lots left to do around here, outside.  We're hoping to add chickens to the farm (peeps !) in the next few weeks, and some guineas (oh my - there are wayyyy too many ticks here !!), and also perhaps a few beef cows (maybe this year, or maybe next) .... and who knows what else.  So, the next big "farm" project here is building structures ... a chicken house, and a small shelter for our horses .... and putting up more fences.  Do you have any "around the home place" projects this summer ?

And inside, we have decided that this year we are going to be working on school through the summer, although on a more flexible schedule to allow for plenty of summer fun.  We're starting Monday morning, bright and early.  We have some things we need to finish up, and some lessons that we didn't have time for earlier in the year that we want to work on ... and some of the Cherubs have skills that could use a bit more polishing and/or a bit more effort.  Does your family keep a traditional school schedule with summers off, or do you work on your own schedule ?  What are your family's plans academically this summer, or are summers "just for fun" ?

We have a busy day ahead of us ....

::::::::::: stay tuned :::::::::::


CM Blog Carnival



" ... pull up a chair with a cup of tea and enjoy the latest edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival, Habit Training! If not today, make sure to bookmark the page; it's been posted here. If you like me, weren't able to get your submission in this time around, but would still like to follow along, please join in by leaving comments on the various posts!  And in case you're wondering, the reading suggestions for this latest edition were as follows:
Habit Training
'Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; a character, reap a destiny.'

In two weeks from today we'll be looking at Narration. So, if you'd like to join in with a blog post of your own, please do!! and feel free to submit your post anytime between now and 5pm May 30th, at this link.

The suggested readings (optional) for the upcoming carnival:

Narration

 "

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Busy ....

Well, we've taken a bit of a detour from school in the traditional sense this week and last.  We've put away the books and have been working on LIFE SKILLS ... fencing, pasture preparations, mowing, budgeting, packing ... running the "house" and keeping things like meals and laundry going while work is happening at the other house ... because we're in the middle of moving to our new farm.

Actually, we finally finished the fencing (needed to replace the fence on the whole pasture) which was a HUGEEEEE project ... and now that the pasture is nearly complete, we'll start moving household contents.

Check out our Farm Journal for our progress and our adventures ....


Once we're moved, lock stock and barrel (and equine), we'll break out the books and lesson plans again and work on wrapping up our "formal" 2010-2011 school year ... which is usually anything BUT formal ... but you probably know what I mean ...

By then, it'll be time for summer fun, and planning next year's academic adventures, which will NOT include moving.  :o)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

CM Blog Carnival

The newest edition of the
has been posted.
Enjoy.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Reminder: The Great Backyard Bird Count


is this weekend.  Be sure to get your list printed,
and spend some time this weekend
counting feathered friends.
Then submit your data -- and prepare to be amazed.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Big Changes


We have been looking at property for soooo longggg  .... we found perfect land but imperfect homes ... just the right home but the land wasn't right .... would we try to build or find something already built .... ready-to-go or in need of renovations.  The list went on and on ....

And then, we found IT ... the perfect farm ... 30 gorgeous acres and a lovely log home ... there's plenty of room for our family ... and lots of room for our animals, and their friends (it seems every animal we have comes with a friend - ha !) ... room for Dumma (my mother) to build her home in a few years after she retires ... and even room for the Cherubs to build their homes someday should they choose to.

The property has lovely land for pasture for our horses, and plenty of room for riding too.  For now we are going to give our chickens to a dear friend, and once we build a new chicken house, we'll order a batch of new peeps.  We're hoping to add some peacocks to our flock then, and also some guinea hens too.  And there's mention of trying to raise our own beef -- but this is still in the research phase.

Gardens .... fruit trees .... oh the plans we have.

The farm is very private (almost 1/2 mil of driveway alone), yet it's less than 3 miles from the center of a cute little town ... and 20 minutes from a much bigger town (it might even be a city ?).  It's located on the "other side" of the mountain that has been such a road block in seeing many dear friends ... so we're looking forward to seeing them more often too.  And it's only a 7 minute drive from a gorgeous lake where the boat and jetskis can be used A LOT -- and that lake has an adorable marina where we can store the "water toys".

We're very excited.  Did I mention that ?  VERY excited.

So, between now and moving day, we're going to be doing a lot of downsizing and a lot of de-cluttering .... getting ready to pack up and move.  And we're hoping to keep things organized ...

We're also focusing a lot of intense attention on our school work, in hopes that we can take a break for moving without setting ourselves behind too much, and without having to work through the bulk of the summer (but that's a possibility we're open to if it's necessary).

And until then, we're going to try to contain our excitement ... nahhhh ... we're getting more and more excited every day, as things fall into place.

We are naming our farm TWO BY TWO FARM ... and will be journaling our "adventures" on a new blog by the same name.

Enjoy.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

December Highlights

Cherub 6 -- Aspiring boxer.
Surprise visit from the Watson Men.
December 13th snow.
Christmas Eve horseback riding.
Dumma and the Polar Bears (Bella & Maggie) ...
waiting for Santa Claus ...
And the best gift of all, on Christmas morning ...
... eight beautiful inches of fluffy white
Christmas snow ...
We hope you had a very Merry Christmas,
and a Happy New Year too.