Bread, and Chickens, and Gardens! Oh my!

“Wow! This home-making thing is getting a little obsessive. I like it!”My sweet hubby said as I kneaded bread dough after dinner tonight.

I am on a new adventure.

I’ve always been the domestic one of my sisters. Although I viewed my older sister as more glamorous, I’ve always considered myself the more “girly.” I have always loved babies, and my pretend play mostly consisted of keeping house and raising my babies, with the occasional safari or spy adventure thrown in for good measure.

Now, I am really loving learning more of what I’ve considered “complex” domestic skills. As gas prices rise, our rural-ness is hitting our budget hard. We live 35 miles from the closest “shopping town,” so trips are having to come fewer and farther between. Everything I am choosing to do is about making our family less dependent and our resources more sustainable.

I have been making our own bread for about 2 weeks now, and I’ve noticed how that $3+  per loaf really adds up. Making it myself, it only costs about $.90 per loaf, and it is SO YUMMY! I’ve perfected it over the past two weeks, and I can now produce a loaf that is sandwich and toast friendly.

I made my first batch of laundry soap from this recipe last week. I used Dr. Bronner’s citrus soap, which is a little pricey, but I wanted something that smelled good, cuz I like natural smell goods. I wanted to be ENCOURAGED to use it, and even opening the container is like a ray of sunshine. I will let you know after more use what I think of it. I have noticed that it doesn’t lather like regular detergent, but maybe it doesn’t need to. Any comments on that?

The next step on my domestic adventure is my garden. A good friend has offered to be my garden mentor, more or less, and she and I are meeting next week after church to plan everything out. The plan is to use raised beds in our backyard, which has a very nice southern exposure. We are getting soil from hubby’s family’s homestead farm, and there is also lumber available there to make the beds. I want to make sure I grow things that I can preserve and stretch throughout the year, so I am making my choices carefully and doing as much research as I can. Ideas?

Finally, Hubby and I are discussing the idea of having backyard egg-laying chickens (as opposed to fryers). A good friend has offered us the coop that he had made for his first batch of chickens last year. What a blessing! I told him not to tease me, and he repeated that we could HAVE IT! AMAZING! Ask and you shall receive, seriously! I am planning on getting 6 New Hampshire Red hens, or the breed that is closest to that that our local feed mill sells, which the “man” assures me are excellent layers. Feed prices have gone up majorly, but the “profit” will still be about $30/month, as opposed to paying $3+/dozen eggs. Sounds good to me! Plus, I love birds. And NO, I am not planning on eating MY chickens. It would be too much like having Juji for dinner, and I just could not do that.

Anywho, the adventure continues. I am really trying to listen to the Lord and be everything he has called me to be, and be open to every skill adventure he has for me. The sewing thing is still not happening…partly because I have been too lazy to get my power pedal fixed…that has been broken for 2 years. I will get there.

Blessings!

Hannah

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