Tomatoes

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Dadzoo and I have been contemplating ways to teach our children hard work and responsibility.  We decided to give each child (or let them choose) one thing that they were primarily responsible for, we would provide guidance, with the understanding as the years go on they would be able to take over their area.  We are also encouraging them to find ways to earn money within their particular area, fostering a entrepreneurial spirit.

A week ago we started our tomatoes seeds, I am really excited this year because for Christmas Dadzoo got me grow lights and a warming pad, so I am really going to be able to get these little guys started, instead of limping along like I usually do.

Lou is my tomato grower, she is in charge of the care and feeding of our tomato patch.  She filled the trays with soil and planted every tiny little seed.  When they are big enough she will plant them outside, keep them wed, help harvest and bottle the tomatoes.  It will give her a sense of pride, of contribution, of esteem every time we slice a fresh tomato, or open a jar or sauce.  Children don’t need empty words to foster a sense of self worth, they need to accomplish something worth while, that is true self esteem.

After just a couple days we could see those little seeds, that Lou planted, begin to sprout.  Lou has been very careful to keep the soil moist, she checks them several times a day, and gives me updates.

We planted 10 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes and plan on saving the seeds from the plants we like the best for next year.

Seed saving is something new for us, I like the idea of being independent and self sustaining with our garden.

 

 

Mudroom, an Update

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Remember the Dog room?
(ahem)
I mean the Mudroom that was destroyed by a dog?
Well, we’ve been a working.
The sub floor has been replaced, along with the doors, door jams and base boards.
It smells nice is there.

It is a nice big room, and there is one big wall right next to the garage door that is just screaming to be used for coats, hats and other such outdoor gear

While I would have loved to do something like solid wood built in shelving and trim and all that, the budget isn’t allowing for such things anymore, but I think we came up with a great solution that total cost about three hundred dollars.

This is a Billy book case from IKEA, the tall skinny one.  It is about the size of a locker.

We got enough to span the length of the wall, it came to eight total.

We did a little modification, so we could mount hooks to the back of the bookcases that would be strong enough to hold backpacks and small children (who like to hang on such things).  Dadzoo ran three boards the length of the wall screwing the board into studs, then screwing the bookcases into the boards. That way they are solid, no tipping over.

He was then able to screw hooks into each bookcase or “cubbie” as we call them.  Each of the older children gets their own cubbie to keep coats, backpack, shoes and other such items, the two little girls get to share one for now.  The two cubbies on each end hold other various outdoor items, like the dog’s leash and toys, my purse and shoes, etc.

I love how it turned out!  Finally a workable solution for all those zillion items that are bouncing around this place!

It’s A Boy!

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We have added a new member to our family and farm.

And if any one is keeping count, our new little one will be on the boy’s team.
(which makes us gals still ahead!)

Here is our newest little guy
Ruger.

Ruger is offically Dadzoo’s dog, he handles night time feeding and lets takes him out at nights. While Ruger is an outside dog, during his first week he got to sleep in his crate in the mudroom.

However, Ruger could never figure out how to not poop in his crate and we fixed a nice little place outside for him. I would rather shovel poop that clean up newspaper and lay it out again.

And while he is Dadzoo’s dog, he has sure taken a special liking to Boo.

Lou enjoys him as well, as long as he is asleep, she doesn’t love the jumping around.

We have had Ruger close to two weeks now, he is pretty good on a leash, and knows his name. Soon we will start training him to follow commands, “sit” being the first one we will teach. Being a farm dog and being around other animals including chickens he needs to be trained well.

Puppy dog eyes, he is wanting a scratch and a cuddle.

Ruger’s loves to sit on my boots and snuggle down to nap, the second I go outside he is sitting on my feet wanting a cuddle and a scratch. I think he knows I am the Mom.

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The Front Door, I need help!

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We had to replace our front door for various reasons, the biggest one being that the door opened out.  Not very secure, considering all it would take to get into the house would be taking the hinges off the door, also it was a bit awkward when someone would come over, I had to be very careful not to hit them with the door as I opened it.  It also looked really strange, the door casing itself was just put in backwards, so the metal plate, the one the keeps water outside the door was on the inside of the house.  I know, weird.  The casing was hodgepodge together  using molding, instead of one sold piece, the walls, being cement, are 12 inches wide, so standard door casings don’t fit, hence the hodgepodge.

So anyway, we got a new door, and it needs to be painted.  I want to do something fun and bold.  The house is a brown, greeny color, trimmed in cream… BORING, I want the front door to pop.  I am looking for suggestions, I don’t want to do white, cream, black or plain brown (although I am open to some brown colors, like a red/brown), what do you think?

What color should I paint the front door!

 

The Mudroom aka The Dog Room

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Some days I feel this overwhelming need to take this poor neglected house and give it a hug, tell it that everything is ok now, and that we will take care of it.

Take this poor room for instance.  The previous owners let their dog destroy it.  Neighbors have told us that it was a Pit Bull, and while I don’t have a problem with Pit Bulls in general, that is one powerful dog to keep locked up and bored.  This is going to be our mudroom, we have never had a mudroom and I am beyond excited about it!

We are planning on tiling the floor, adding cabinets and a utility sink on one wall, and hooks, a bench and cubbies on the other wall. I am so thankful to have a nice large space to organise the zillion hats, gloves, coats and shoes we have banging around, not to mention corralling all the mud (hopefully!).