My Favorite Money- Saving Laundry Item

There is an item that we purchased a couple of years ago to help with laundry that I ended up using ALL the time.  It wasn't expensive at all, and it has already saved us way more than we payed for it.

It is called an Indoor Tripod Clothes Dryer (rack).  We liked it so much, we bought another one, so we have two.

Each rack holds 18 garments, so I can have 36 garments drying at a time.  One of them is in our living room by our wood stove, and one of them is in our back room.  It only takes a day or two for our clothes to completely dry.

They really don't take up much room, and they fold for storage if you want.

Not only do we save money by not putting clothes in the dryer ALL year long, but our clothes also last longer and dry wrinkle free.  The only thing I put in the dryer when it is too cold to hang clothes outside on the line are towels and sheets.  I have dried towels on these racks by hanging them on pants hangers, but I prefer not to.

I highly recommend this rack to anyone trying to save money here and there during these tough times.  It doesn't take very long to hang a load up on hangers to dry, and knowing they will dry wrinkle free is a definite plus!  I also feel like a better steward because our clothes don't fade from being put in the dryer, and they retain their shape better, so they can be worn much longer than dryer processed clothing.

If you are interested, you can buy one with THIS LINK (affiliate link).  They are inexpensive enough to try and see if you like them as much as I do!

Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (Find us on Facebook Here)

Saturday on the Homestead: February 22, 2014

We started our day today with some pretty cool temperatures in the 30's, so we lounged in a bit and had coffee.  While I was drinking my coffee, I worked on organizing my seeds.  I bought THESE (affiliate link) small, reusable zipper bags to put all of my seeds in, and I am putting them in photo albums.  I think two photo albums will hold all of my seeds.  (Thanks, Marilyn, for the idea).

It warmed up to 55* fairly quickly, and everyone but Amber headed outside.  We are having a tea party in a bit, and she stayed in to prepare the snacks and tea.  Our kitchen table is still covered with grow lights and seeds, so we are going to wing it in the living room.  I LOVE having tea parties with my family, even dressing up in whatever theme they come up with.  The menu includes:  ham scones, chip dip, dressed eggs, cheese, healthy peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, and herbal tea.

I went into the garden and put the rest of my big bag of peat moss on my raised beds.  I ran out, so I picked up a few rocks and sticks and tidied things up a bit.  One of our beds that we used repurposed wood on needs some work, so we will have to get to that before we plant. 

Jeff showed Jessie and Josh how to install a new radiator cap on the Dodge truck Jessie is currently driving, and how to fill it up with fluid.  He then showed them how to air up a tire with his air pump.  They moved on to other work projects and Jeff spray painted some of the window frames he will be installing in his greenhouse tomorrow. 

I am so glad that he can finally make some faster progress on it, because I have PLANTS I want to put in there when it's done!

Jeff and I have to run to town for greenhouse supplies later, so we will probably squeeze in a wee inexpensive date while we are out.  

Before I post next Saturday, my son, Joshua, will have turned 14 (on Thursday).  He wants to celebrate next weekend by eating at an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet.  He also wanted to delay his birthday breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes until next Saturday so his daddy can have some.  That's my thoughtful boy.

I think that about wraps up our day.  We have colder weather coming back Wednesday, so we are going to revel in the sun and warmth while we can!!  I may try to squeeze in starting some more lettuce seeds before our tea party begins.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (Find us on Facebook here)

Book Review: Lilly of the Valley

We just finished reading this book as a family, and we all HIGHLY recommend it.  It is a fictional book set in the oppressive North Korean regime.  It follows one family, all of whom aren't believers,  throughout the trials and hardships of living under a communist dictator that cares nothing for the common people.

Among this family is one extraordinary, faith-filled girl, named Kyun Li-hua, also called Lilly.  She has an extraordinary faith and God's Holy Spirit speaks with her regularly.  She is not your average little girl, as she speaks with the authority of the prophets.  See how her faith draws in her family members one by one, and the consequences that arise because of it.

Their journey takes them to an infamous "work camp", a.k.a. concentration camp, where citizens are sent to die,  after being over-worked and tortured.   See what happens when faith enters the despair, sickness, and pain of the camp.

This is an easy read, and a marvelous, faith-building story line.  I cried with hope and joy at parts of it.  We all loved it.  Best of all, it is only .99 on Kindle right now!

 Buy Lilly of the Valley


Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (Find us on Facebook here)

Who are the folks at Serenity Springs? An Introduction.

An introduction to our family here at Serenity Springs

We decided to call our mini-homestead Serenity Springs when we moved here almost 4 years ago.  Jeff and I are peaceful, non-dramatic people (Serenity), and our water is spring-fed (Springs), so it seemed to fit.   We had owned a house in town for twenty years before selling it and moving to the country, where we cleaned up and lightly remodeled my mother-in-law's house before moving in.  She had previously moved in with her daughter, my husband's sister, so the house was sitting empty.

While she still lived here, my mother- in- law raised chihuahuas to sell, but ended up keeping most of them as pets.  At last count before she moved, she had around 19.  That was a LOT of chihuahuas.  They were no longer there when we moved here, but their presence and reminder that they had been there remained, and not in a good way.  It took a bit of perseverance and scrubbing to rid the house of their smell, and also to conquer the mice who had moved in and were living the good life.

At any rate, we got things cleaned up, tiled and painted, which included me falling off of a ladder onto hard tile floor and hearing something near my knee pop.  Turns out, I had broken at least one of the three tiny bones located near my knee.  I could walk, but it hurt, and I limped stiff-legged for MONTHS afterwards.  I honestly thought it was never going to heal, and that I had a permanent limp.  Thankfully, after a long, slow recovery, it did heal, and I don't limp or suffer pain with it any longer.  This was a challenge for me, because other than allergies and some pregnancy difficulties, I am normally very healthy and non-injured!

We moved from the city because my husband, Jeff, for years had wanted to move back to the country where he had grown up.  Anyone that knows him knows that he is a country boy at heart.  I am glad that he got his heart's desire.  I must admit, I wasn't much of a willing participant when he first told me.  I may or may not have pitched a mini-fit near hysterics, which isn't like me at all.  The reason behind this is that I don't like change, and that was going to be a pretty big change! Like the only time I had ever moved was from my parent's house, 20 years before.  It was a very big deal to me.

God changed my heart pretty quickly, though, and I got on board with my husband's vision.  Which is good, because I detest being at odds with the love of my life.  We painted and fixed up our house, and we sold it within two weeks of listing it!  It was a nice older home, with over 2000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, TONS of closets, a hot tub, and lots of decks and porches.

On the other hand, our new abode has around 1100 square feet.  One closet (two since Jeff built one in the living room), one bathroom, and Amber sleeps in the attic (by choice).  It was a major downsize, but I have come to absolutely love it!!  Minimalization does wonders for peace of mind and contentment.  I highly recommend it.

This is two of the faces behind Serenity Springs, Jeff and myself (Debbie).  I LOVE his beard!!  He is one of the kindest, Godliest men I know, and he is my best friend!  They truly don't make many like him anymore.  He is a rare treasure to me.

So we are pursuing a homesteading life.  We have chickens and ducks and soon to be geese and even more ducks.   We have raised 2 pigs for slaughter, and raise a large garden every year in raised beds.  Jeff is in the middle of rebuilding our greenhouse.  The first one was a quick, wood and plastic structure just to have one ready to use.  The plastic wasn't very sustainable, though, and also not attractive at all, if you ask me.  His new one will be wood and windows, a little larger, and much more attractive to the eye.

We have four children:  Alix (22), who is married with 2 children, Jessie (19), Amber (15), and Joshua (13).  We have homeschooled them all, and have graduated 2 so far.  We love the life of a homeschooling family and wouldn't have it any other way.  We raise our children to have a strong work ethic and to be independent, and we try to teach them to put God first in all they do. 

That being said, meet Alix.

My lovely oldest daughter is married and no longer lives with us.  As you can see, I have two gorgeous grandchildren that I LOVE to death!  They are indeed the light of my life, along with all of my children, and my best friend, also known as my husband.  Alix is a small business owner, having a successful Etsy shop and occasionally setting up at fairs and such.  I am extremely proud of all her hard work to make it successful.   She is the child that most closely resembles my own personality.  She is introverted, but loving, just like me.  She has surprised herself since getting married by closely mirroring my beliefs and sayings.  We have a lot in common, and I love to chat with her.  She has homebirthed both of her children which just tickles me to death.

They want a large family, and we support that 100%!  Children are such a blessing from the Lord, and we would have had more ourselves, God willing (We had a tubal pregnancy and a miscarriage, or we would be a family with 6 living children ourselves!)  She plans to homeschool as well.  My son-in-law, Mark, is one of the most creative, multi-abilitied people I know.  He is a very good, Godly husband to my daughter, and I love him a lot.

 My grandchildren, Canon, who will be 4 this year, and Hadassah, who will be 2, are a bundle of energy and love.  Canon is already very intelligent and creative, and Hadassah is my cuddler.  She loves to be snuggled.  I cannot express how much love a grandparent can feel for their grandbabies, but man is it powerful!  Hadassah has her grandfather, Jeff,  (they call him Sabba) wrapped around her cute little finger.  He thinks she hung the moon.  Oh, the power of us ladies!


And here is my lovely second oldest daughter, Jessie.

.

Jessie was a mama's girl for the longest time, but after she grew up, it was daddy's girl all the way!  She is a strong, disciplined Godly young woman that I admire greatly.  She loves to play guitar, read, work outside, and play in the rain.  She epitomizes the word "integrity" in all things, which can annoy me at times when I am going 5 miles over the speed limit and she fusses at me for speeding.  But what a rare and marvelous trait to have!  She was extremely shy for the longest time, but her personality and confidence finally emerged as she grew up.  She is a hard worker, eats healthy, and blesses us with meals and/or goodies often.  She is very dependable, and house sits, babysits, and cleans for extra money.  If I had to trust someone with a million dollars, a list of things to accomplish across the whole country, and my safety, it would either be my husband or Jessie.

And here is my third oldest, Amber:

Out of all my children, she is the most dramatic.  She also has the biggest servant heart of all of us.  She has a perpetually pleasant disposition, and when she gets mad, she usually gets over it very quickly.  Amber is always willing to lend a hand wherever she is, especially in the kitchen.  She loves to bake and cook, and she is quite proficient at it.  She can make up dessert recipes on the fly that are yummy.  She loves to read and listen to dramatized stories on CD.  She loves to watch movies, but doesn't get to as much as she would like.

Amber is the person in the house who is the most fun to tease (in a nice way).  She takes it all with a smile or a shrug.  She has written her first book, around 150 handwritten pages.  It is about a big family who lives in an Indian village and their trials during the precursor to war.   She has started a second book, which is the second in the series about the family during the war.  It would be so nice to be able to get those in print for her.
 
She has felt drawn towards Kenya for several years now, and thinks she wants to study medicine in Kenya to be a doctor and then stay there to minister to the people.  It is much cheaper to get her degree there, and if her goal is to live there, then this is definitely the way to go.   She is a very determined, strong young lady who will represent her faith well wherever she ends up.  She has strong beliefs, and is not easily led astray by peer pressure. 

And here is my baby, Joshua:

He's not much of a baby though.  Weighing in at 165, he is also the tallest person in the house.   He is straight up a mama's boy, but that doesn't make him any less manly.  He can split and stack wood like a pro, keeps our yard mowed by hand and works hard at whatever we ask him to do.  He can cook a mean egg, make salads, and can whip up muffins, though being in the kitchen is definitely not his preference.  Although the food residing in the kitchen IS his preference, and let me tell you, this boy can put some food away!   He can down about 25+ pieces of pizza at Cici's, and then open the fridge when he gets home.  He LOVES fruit, and can go through so much that we started initialing it so that we all get some before the next grocery trip!

 He loves sports, especially football.  We study the headlines and stats during NFL season, and chat about it just about every day.  It is a marvelous way to connect with him.  He also plays it very well.  His preferred position to play is either wide receiver or safety.  He is better than good at both.  His friends down in Primm Springs started to call him magnet fingers because he can catch the ball so well.  And his hands are HUGE!  He is also developing an interest in basketball.  His persistent hobby since childhood has been his hot wheels cars.  It has always been easy to please him with gifts.
 
He is a soft-spoken, considerate and kind young man that has walked through the fire with his mama and emerged on the other side a lot more refined and pleasant.  He is a living testimony of why parents should stick with and support and desperately pray for a rebellious child until God gets a hold of their hearts and they change.  I love this boy, and I am extremely thankful that God gave me at least one son to raise.  I think he is absolutely gorgeous, and will make some lucky woman a Godly husband someday.

Life can be harder here in the country than it was in the city.  Times are tough for just about everyone, and we have found ways to be more frugal and creative.  I truly wouldn't trade homestead life for anything.  And that is our family in a nutshell.  Thank you for visiting with us.

Here are some books on the homesteading life we have enjoyed:

Homesteading by Abigail Gehring
Square Foot Gardening
Backyard Homesteading by David Toht
The Joy of Keeping Chickens
Growing Great Garlic


Blessings,


Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs (Come like our facebook page here!)

You can find all of our blog posts on our Home at Serenity Springs Pinterest page.

Saturday on the Homestead: February 15, 2014

Well, we thought we were going to be warming up today, but once again, we were mistaken.  More accurately, the forecast from a couple of days ago was mistaken.  High of 32* today...  However, we are holding out hope for the 50* promised for tomorrow, and the 60's forecast for next week.  Considering this is what our kitchen table looks like, we are ready for some garden action:

And this is our kitchen buffet.

Today, Jeff is looking at one of our trucks to see if a hose to our steering pump is leaking or if the pump itself just needs to be replaced.  I am so thankful that he knows how to do a lot of these repairs.  He has saved us tons of money replacing brakes, pumps, lines, etc.  Jessie is going to watch and hopefully learn something about steering pumps.  I have called auto stores about parts and prices so much over the past 20+ years, that I feel like I know WAY more about car repair than I ever wanted to, but I guess it's a good thing.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.  We never go out on dates on holidays because we both despise crowds, so we are going to attempt a date tonight.  It has been awhile since we have been able to take one, so we are quite excited for some couple time.  The last time we went, somebody picked up our tab, which was a HUGE blessing to us!!

Before we go, we will get some chores done, as there is always something to do on a homestead.  I am going to start some more lettuce plants, because it won't be too long and they can be sustained in the garden.  We love salads, and have them just about every day of the week, so growing our own healthy greens and using edible weeds is the way to go!

There is still plenty of wood to split, so the boy (Josh) will be working on splitting and stacking.  Amber has already made chocolate chip cookies, and I will find something else productive for her to do before she gets released for the day. 

I finished our taxes today, and they are ready to send, but we won't file until next payday.  I corrected several errors that I had made, which made our outcome a lot more pleasant than it looked at first.  Whew!  Tax time can be scary or it can be a blessing.  I prefer the blessing, personally!

We've noticed that our local farm stores have gotten chicks, so it won't be long before we order Amber's geese, and incubate our own eggs for more chickens.   Our success rate on incubation runs between 85-100%, so it is definitely worth doing to save money.  We love raising chickens.  It's comforting and peaceful to see them foraging around our yard, and the wonderful taste of fresh eggs is unparalleled.

So, that's basically our day in a nutshell.  We are going to have family game night tomorrow evening, probably in the form of spades, which we all love.  Obviously, we won't be playing on our kitchen table!  Guess we'll have to clean off the card table....

Click HERE to learn about square foot gardening with Mel Bartholomew's famous book.

Have a blessed weekend!

Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs

Nobody owes you anything

This attitude.  It is rampant.  We all probably have it to some extent.  It is selfish, unloving, impatient, angry, and unbending.  At the root of it is a belief that we are the center of the universe and that everyone should kowtow or else our wrath will be kindled.  That somehow society owes us and they had better pay up.

 

Our government and even our educational system supports this belief with no-work-required welfare and food stamp handouts, and grades that aren't earned.   Youth sports teams back this belief by handing out trophies to everyone just for showing up.  The accepted discipline system of the day for parents supports this by telling us we mustn't offend the psyche of our children with sternness or consequences lest we permanently scar them.  The result is a nation of egocentric yahoos that want everything given to them on a silver platter whether they've earned it or not.  Even sensible people that know better like myself can fall prey to this mindset.

In my life, this most often manifests itself like this.  While out on an errand, driving along and making good progress, somebody will dare to slow down and turn, which slows me down.  Gasp!  The nerve of that guy.  Aggravation ensues.  If I had a paint gun, I'd probably spray his window.  Same thing if someone pulls out in front of me or changes lanes in front of me, causing me to slow down.  I don't always get mad, but it definitely happens more than it should.

 

Since I have become more aware of how selfish this behavior is, I have taken to reminding myself that those people have as much right to be on the road as I do.  And that I slow down others as well when I have to stop and make a turn.  We all make turns, right?  It doesn't always work to assuage my aggravation, but it has been helping.  It is quite ridiculous, really, to get mad at other drivers for slowing down in the normal course of driving.  But even knowing and acknowledging that I am being ridiculous doesn't completely take it away.

I have a friend who is aware of Wal-Mart's policy of loading your bags into your cart for you.  Most people I know don't have a problem with putting their own bags into their cart after being rung up.  Not this particular friend.  She will stand there with the attitude stare, and if necessary, the attitude words, to remind the clerk that it is her job to load up the bags.  This embarrasses me, and I am glad that I don't go shopping much with her.  To me, basic human kindness and courtesy (along with confrontation avoidance) would inspire me to load my own bags into the cart if the clerk isn't so inclined, and I am okay with that.  No big deal, right?  Apparently it is to some people.  The "You owe me attitude" rears its ugly head again.

How about at a restaurant on a waiting list, or in a doctor's office, when someone you perceive to have gotten there after you gets to go first?  Don't even go there.  First come, first served is the law, and no one had better try to get around it.  I have seen fights ensue from someone taking a "claimed" parking spot at the grocery store.  Should we even talk about Black Friday?  Because I value my life, and I don't tolerate idiocy as well as I used to, I haven't gone in years.  We seriously don't need anything that badly, and the products they put on special are usually of a cheap quality anyway.

I think we are all naturally inclined to this self-centered attitude, but in reality, life really isn't about us, and everyone around us has as much right to be there, wherever there is, as we do.  The fact also remains that common courtesy will no doubt continue to decline in our society, and that unless we want complete chaos to ensue, SOMEONE has to be the mature one when aggravating situations occur.  And if you are like me, these aggravating situations happen every time you go out into public.  Where there are people, there is potential for aggravation.  Amen?  Amen!

For those of us who are believers, we have added incentive to be the voice of kindness and reason in these situations.  We are supposed to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, and embracing this selfish, angry attitude definitely does not qualify!   So sometimes we just have to buck up, put on our big girl or boy underwear, and let the annoyance roll right over our heads.  Let the inconsiderate lump have the parking spot, jump in front of you in line, or whatever else the potentially confrontational situation may be.  We will find that our unmerited kindness is much easier on our stress level and frame of mind, thus making us more peaceful people.  Why let idiots steal our joy? 

However, if YOU are one of these selfish, self-centered, consistently inconsiderate, angry people with the attitude, you'll probably live longer if you learn to get over it.  Life is not all about you, or at least it shouldn't be.  Quit making everyone around you miserable.  Learn to think about others, and yes, even honor them above yourself.  Exercise common courtesy and all of those manners your mother probably taught you.  You don't always have to be right, or first, and you don't always have to get what you want.  You don't even have to get everything you actually deserve, or everything you are owed.  It actually makes us happier, more peaceful, way less stressed people to embrace this way of life.  Put others first.  Be the one who does the right thing. 

 

Blessings,
Debbie,  Home at Serenity Springs

Saturday on the Homestead: February 8

We didn't get to spend much time home on the homestead today.  Our 19 year old daughter, Jessie, had an interview for a child caring position, and since her truck is out of commission at the moment, and since we needed to run a couple of errands anyway, we just took her to town.

For her birthday this year, she wants to be outfitted for hunting deer this fall, including a hunting rifle, so while we were out, we stopped by our local store to check out the prices.  Needless to say, it won't be an inexpensive endeavor, but hopefully she will fill our freezer this fall.

We were all so happy to finally see a little bit of snow.  It was a very little bit, but definitely better than nothing.   There is a chance for more this coming week, so we will see.  If we aren't going to get any more pretty snow, I would just as soon spring come.

Right now, our kitchen table is completely taken up with 3 of our four foot grow lights.  It may still be a bit early to start certain seeds, but nevertheless we have some nice looking tomato plants, and we can maintain them under the lights until Jeff gets his greenhouse finished.

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to getting more done around the homestead.  We REALLY need to make progress on our greenhouse.  We still have a lot of windows to install in it, and each window has to be painted on both sides before installation.  Very tedious, time-consuming work.

We are about to settle in for the evening with a couple of family friendly movies on our Clearplay DVD player.  We ate Mexican on the way home, so we have supper covered already.

Amber wrote another blog today, this one on modesty, which I will post later.  Josh has been invaluable keeping the wood boxes in the house full of wood, and keeping the fire stoked.  My kids are such a blessing to me.

I hope your day has been wonderfully blessed, as well as tomorrow!

Blessings,

Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs  (Come like us on Facebook!)

Why we switched to raised bed gardening

We have gardened in two different places:  the home we owned for 20 years in town, and the 13 family-owned acres we now share with my brother-in-law.  At our house in town, we gardened for years by tilling up the ground like most people do, and planting in rows.  We grew vegetables, and never knew there was a better way.

 
I can't remember how we ran across the book, Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew.  After reading this book, we were convinced that maybe we could be even more successful at gardening by growing our produce in raised beds.  We decided to give it a try.  Two years before we moved to the country, we built our first raised beds per the SFG method, even using the proportions of mix for the soil that he recommended, and planting the number of seeds per square recommended.

Guess what?  Our tomatoes never produced as well as they did that season!  It worked!!  Not only that, but it was SO much easier to keep weeded and watered than regular rows.  We also weren't wasting a lot of water that is inherent in gardening in rows, and the soil mixture we used helped hold moisture in when the weather was dry.  We fell in love, and haven't gone back since.

When we moved to the country a few years ago, we gardened however we could until we got all of the boxes built in our new garden.  Considering we have a fairly large garden, this was a pretty big undertaking, and took a bit to finish.   We repurposed wood laying around the homestead, and also purchased individual fence slats to help build our beds (MUCH more economical than buying regular wood).  The fence slats are 6" wide, which is deep enough for most non-root vegetables.   We have a few very deep beds (around 12 inches) that we use for carrots, parsnips, and such.

I have been mulching our beds with peat moss, which helps to hold moisture in and also improves the soil.  It also helps to control weeds until the plants grow and take up more space.  I love the weed control that gardening in boxes provides.  Your plants are together in a square or rectangle, which leaves less room for weeds to grow in between them.  We have the walkways between the boxes covered in 20 year shingles, and it works very well to keep things from getting too muddy, and from weeds taking over the walkways. 

There are other ways to cover your walkways:  cardboard (I used this before we got the shingles and it worked.  We got them at our local grocery for free), newspaper (You would have to weigh them down with a few rocks or a few handfuls of dirt), or mulch (wood chips, pine bark, sawdust) would all work as well. 

The boxes themselves provide an interesting geometric view that is pleasing to the eye.  We have some boxes that are rectangular, and some boxes that are square, and they aren't all the same size, so it is never boring!  On the far end of our garden, to simplify the finishing up process, we boxed in 3 or 4 long rows all the same size.  

Throughout the winter, I have been amending the soil by adding compost, food scraps, chicken manure, and peat moss directly in the beds.  In the spring, we will take our small electric handheld tiller and mix it all in. 

Whether you garden yet or not, I would consider adding some raised bed boxes to grow some of your own food in.  Not only is it healthier, especially if you garden naturally without poisons, but we also live in perilous times where it is a possibility you might not be able to make it to the store to buy what you need for an extended period of time. 

There really isn't an exact science to building a raised bed.  It can be as fancy or as simple as you want.  It just needs to be at least 6 inches deep to provide enough room for roots to grow.  You could even build one on a sunny small deck or balcony. 

I highly recommend the previously mentioned book Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew.  (Buy it HERE).  He gives a thorough explanation of the benefits and the how-to's of raised bed gardening.  There is also tons of information about how to grow and take care of specific fruits and vegetables.  We love our copy. 

Keep in mind that you don't have to actually lay out individual squares in your raised beds if you don't want to.  We did that at our old house, but now we just plant as we choose.  You can still incorporate the method without using every single specific.  I hope that you will consider at least looking into this method of gardening.  It's definitely worth considering!  Anyone can learn to garden successfully with raised beds.

Happy gardening and Blessings,
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs

Saturday on the Homestead: February 1

I wanted to start a new tradition on my blog to update our happenings on the homestead.  So just about every Saturday I'll put a new post up.  I know I love to read about the farms and homesteaders I keep up with, even though I don't know most of them personally.

Speaking of which, next week there will be a post on who we are here at Serenity Springs to introduce ourselves to those who don't know us well.

The past couple of weeks, I have been busy starting seeds indoors.  We have 2 four-foot grow lights and also a small greenhouse with one shelf of lights so far, all in our kitchen! :)  Grow lights are awesome!  We have a basil plant over a foot tall we have eating off of for a couple of months now.  Click to see the grow light we used for our basil plant

So far we have started a few pepper plants of different varieties seeded, including sweetheart red peppers, peter peppers, and red pepper douce d'espagne, all of which will be new varieties for us this year.  Also going are a few tomatoes, several of which we started with seed I saved last year (so proud of myself for acquiring that skill!)

The big theme for this year will be HERBS!  Last year, the only herbs we grew were lemon balm, marshmallow, hyssop (a little), catnip (also a little), stevia, chives, parsley, basil, and dill.  I think that's it, but I may have missed a couple.  This year, that is hopefully going to increase several fold, including a try at growing my own goji berries.

 I have some cilantro, oregano, lemon basil, chives, wild lettuce, marjoram, thyme, parsley and cinnamon basil started in pots to try to grow in our back room that gets southern light.  Hopefully, at least some of them will do well. 

Then in our garden, we are expanding the room allotted for herbs.  I already have some clary sage sprouted, and some feverfew, motherwort, and lobelia seeded, but not sprouted yet.  We had a seed trading party this week, so I have TONS of new seeds to start! 

On the horizon is acquiring meat chickens, 2 geese for Amber to raise, at least a couple of new ducks of a different breed than we already have, and incubating a new batch or two of chickens.  Our chickens recently ended their laying strike (we have at least 20 hens that lay, but were only getting one egg each day for a couple of months).  Now we are back up to 6-10 every day! 

Josh and Amber are going with their Uncle Alan to cut wood today to help build our store of firewood back up.  With all of this cold weather, we have been using TONS of wood.  But we are ever so thankful for our wood stove.  It keeps us marvelously warm when it is cold outside.

That's about it for today.  I haven't felt well the past day or so, so I don't think I will be overly productive today.  If I do anything, it will be to.....plant more seeds!

Blessings and have a good weekend!
Debbie, Home at Serenity Springs