So much to do

Right now there is so much to do that it feels as though nothing is actually getting done. Things are getting done though, and I do know this, it just feels like.. well, overwhelming.

For starters we got the house moved to where it will stay. We have the power sort of worked out. We have the water sort of worked out. However there is the well that still needs fixing.

We still are working on the goat pens.

They will be on the other side of that fence once it’s done rather than half way across the property. I’m looking forward to this happening because then feeding and watering will be easier again.

Aarron just got a whole bunch of pallets which will be used for the goat pens. So hopefully they will be done soon. I would love to have the goats closer to the house so I can hear them if anything happens.

Well that’s what’s going here right now. A lot of work and not much rest. I’d love to hear some positive things going on for y’all. Leave me a comment below and tell me how things are going for you.

Have a great day!

Renee

Knuckle Duster Ring


This is a sponsored post. To see my full disclosure click here.

This knuckle duster ring is very pretty. It’s made with highly polished H59 Brass. It comes with a lanyard of sorts that makes it easy to hang it where you will use it. What is it you ask? It’s a bottle opener.

Knuckle Duster

 

I guess it could be used as a brass knuckle ( I know that’s what I thought at first), but I believe you can get in a lot of trouble by doing that so just use it as the bottle opener that it’s intended to be. It will easily open most beverage bottles with just a tug.

Knuckle Duster

 

It has a bit of heft to it as well. I would say it weighs a couple of pounds pretty easily. If you would like to purchase this bottle opener just click the link: https://www.edcweapon.com/collections/one-finger-brass-knuckles/products/knuckle-duster-ring

Knuckle Duster

 

You can your very own brass knuckle duster bottle opener. Do you already have this? What are your thoughts on the product and how well it works? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this item. The first thing my daughter said about this is it’s so shiny! I had to laugh.

Have a great day!

Renee

Avigator Coffee Maker

Avigator Portable Coffee Maker

This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase, I will recieve a small commission at no cost to you. To see my full disclosure click here.

So I had been looking for a way to make coffee without electric since we don’t have it yet. This is the solution that I was able to find: The Avigator Coffee Maker plugs into the cigarette lighter in your car. I have been using a percolator coffee pot on the camp stove, but the wind here gets so bad at times that stove won’t stay lit.

Avigator Coffee Maker

This makes one cup of coffee at a time and the instructions claim you can have coffee in about 3 minutes. That is a lie! It actually takes at least 10 minutes. But I get my coffee so that is a plus. It does work well and the only thing I don’t like about it is that it does a take a little bit to get your cup of coffee in the morning.

Avigator Coffee Maker

However, that said, it is a hot cup of coffee. It has a permanent filter in it when it comes that you just rinse or wash between uses. It holds a little more than the cup that comes with it so I recommend using the cup to fill the water  to make sure you don’t over fill the cup. I imagine that would make a mess and in your car no less.

Avigator Coffee Maker

The cup is a decent size too. It holds a little more than a regular coffee cup. So all in all I am happy with this coffee maker. The only down side I find to it is the time it takes to make the coffee but everything else is as described.

If you would like to see or order this coffee maker you can do so on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3ok9I51

I would recommend this maker for camping trips or the like. It works well and puts up with my abuse so it has to be good.

Have a great day!

Renee

First things first

I hope all is well with everyone. We are slowly getting things going here. Things could be better, but they could be a whole lot worse too. We still have no electric and no running water. We are hauling water in right now for us and the goats. We finally got the goats separated. So that’s a plus.

The girls are so much more happy now that they aren’t with the boys. The yearlings, both does, kept getting into the other side with the boys so here’s to hoping there’s no early pregnancies. We shall find out soon enough though.

Aarron got the girls pen finished today so we were able to move all the girls to another pen.

It’s bigger than the one they were in so there is more room for them since Desi is trying to knock Astra around. I’m hoping this will help with that. So far it seems to be helping but I guess the next few days will tell for sure.

So all is mostly well here and will better once Aarron’s truck is up and running again. That should be very soon because we got the engine for it and he is working on switching it out.

Have a great day!

Renee

New Adventure

So we have been here for about 2 weeks or so and I have to say that I am really in love with our new property. I have so many ideas on what I would like to. We both need to find work which sucks but what you gonna do about it. Fact of life I guess.

I am hopeful that once we get things going again we should be able to be here full time but for now that is not the case.

The goats are in a small pen right now which I don’t like but it’s what we have at the moment. We have plans for their new open but we need to unload trailers first.

To unload the trailers we need to get the shed up. To get the shed up we need to move a few of the trailers around. To move the trailers we need Aarron’s truck running again. So that is where we are at right now. Trying to get Aarron’s truck back running.

We have the engine and he is working on getting it in now. It’s almost there I think but it just seems like everything is slow going right now.

Once that is done I will be able to begin unpacking things from the trailer and putting them either in the house or in the shed. Once we are more settled we can actually start working on getting things done. I am looking forward to that.

Have a great day!

Renee

Home

So we’ve finally made it to our new place and I am in love! We are now on 10 acres in a small town in southern Arizona. The views are breath taking because it’s so open.

The view from my house

We are in the process of getting the house set where it will be for the time being. The goats made the drive but didn’t like it one bit. They are happy that we are here full time now and let us know by telling every time we step out of the house. Lol.

More of the land

There is a lot to do and not enough hours in the day to get it done but we are loving every minute of it so far.

For the first few weeks I will publish at least once a week ( or try to anyhow) but there is so much to do. I hope you enjoy and will join the adventure with us.

Have a great day!

Renee

Feeding on a Budget: Chickens

This week I am going to take a break from the What’s happening posts because it’s very early in the week writing this and not much has been done since I wrote the last post. I’ll return with that one next week to show everyone the new property.

Chicken  feed from the feed store can get pretty expensive quickly if you have more than just a couple chickens so let me give you some tips to help keep that feed bill down. First off, I only feed scratch in the winter time when they need the extra to help with warmth. So this is my first tip, only buy scratch in the winter time. The rest of the year they really don’t need the extra because it’s like a treat to them and they will fill up on that and you egg production could drop because of this.

Baby Chicks

I know a lot of people will tell you this is wrong and I am only going over what works for me. If someone else tells you they need it, I can tell you that I have not fed scratch other than in the winter for about 6 years now and I have not lost a bird to malnutrition.  The second tip is to feed kitchen scraps. I have given my birds everything from the kitchen from vegetables and fruit to meat. I wouldn’t feed meat all the time, I try to only give meat a couple times a week but 3 or 4 times would be ok too because I have done that. I just wouldn’t do it all the time.

Chickens

 

My next tip is to give them everything you take out of the garden. When you trim you plants give them the trimmings. When you weed your garden give them the weeds. While working in your garden, give them any bugs that you remove from your garden. The chickens will absolutely love this. If you are able let them free range for a little while during the day so they can get the bugs in your yard. Just make sure that any plants you don’t want them to get at are protected because otherwise they will find it.

Chickens

 

I do not know if these are recommended tips I am only sharing what has been working for me. I don’t lose birds very often and it’s usually from old age rather than anything else. I am just saying this is what I have been doing to keep the food bill down for my chickens. I hope this is helpful for you.

If you have any other tips I would love to hear them. Leave a comment below and let me know!

Have a great day!

Renee

 

What’s Happening Part 4

Well we have closed on one house and are working on closing the other now. We should be at our new property in a couple weeks. Would you believe we haven’t even seen it yet? It’s true. We are buying this land on pictures alone. It has a well and electric on property but nothing else. It’s going to be quite the adventure starting from scratch. The closer it gets the more excited I get about it.

As for what is going on here, Aarron is still working on the yard. It’s getting closer though. The goats are still here, which is a little frustrating but I’m dealing. I hope they will be going to stay with friends this week sometime but we shall see. I’m not sure what I’m going to do on my Instagram until we get the goats to new property. My instagram is usually the goats and my blog so it may be a little bare for a couple weeks. We shall see on that one.

Side yard

It feels like this is taking forever, but it’s really not. It’s a lot for one person though. Thankfully Aarron’s dad has been here most of the time to help him because otherwise it would just be Aarron. I wish we had the money to just pay someone to do the rest of it. It would be so much easier Aarron if we could.

House front

 

I have say that I absolutely hate moving. We have way to much stuff. We have gotten rid of so much already but there is still so much more to get through. I can’t wait until this is done and my anxiety can calm back down. I have been so anxious the last week that it almost feels like I’m going to pass out most days. I will be glad when this is all over.

Front yard

 

I am thankful that we are getting closer to be done. I am thankful that the new property should be closing next week. I am thankful that we are going to be away from this area too. I can’t wait to get back to homesteading posts and how to’s. I hope you will bare with me during this transition stage.

 

Have a great day!

Renee

 

What’s Happening Part 3

So, we are finally closing tomorrow on one property and hopefully closing next week on the other property. I have to say the closer it gets, the more excited I am getting. It’s going to be a new chapter in life and for our little farm. We are going to continue working with our breeding program with the goats so there will be more kid updates later. We are wanting to get pigs again and hopefully work on a breeding program with them as well, but we shall see how that goes later on.

The clean up is going well. We have  two weeks to get everything finished up and it’s looking more and more like it will happen. The back is mostly done other than the goats. They are still in the smaller pens right now which I don’t like, but we have to do what we have to do at this point in time.

Back yard

 

All the fences are down and the materials are moved to the front so they can be separated and shipped out to where ever they are going (trash, scrap, new home). Aarron’s Dad has been here helping with this because I don’t know a thing about scrap so it’s mostly his job to get this all done. I have been helping a little where I can but it’s not been much outside. My job has mostly been in the house getting everything packed and ready to go when we get the new place.

Side yard

 

There is still quite a bit to do (which is partly why this post is late). But it seems to be coming together now and getting down to mostly what is going to the new house. Once we close on the new property, if it’s the one we are looking at right now, we will have more acreage which will be nice. Where we are now is 1 acre and if the sale of the property goes through we will be on 10 acres. I am so looking forward to this. And it looks like there is only one other house in the near vicinity. So we won’t have nosy neighbors so close to us this time.

Front yard

 

I honestly can’t believe it’s taken this long, but there have also been many challenges that my husband has faced through moving all of this. Many tires have blown before during and after drives to town to take scrap. I don’t know how many tires my husband has done by hand to make sure the trips go well. He has been amazing through all  of this. We have been so stressed out and yet he doesn’t take it out on me when he gets mad at something or someone. I wish I could say the same for myself, but we are working through every thing and we will get to the new property as one. I am exited about our next journey.

Have a great day!

Renee

Atamin Ava Bedside Table


How to style your nightstand like a pro
A nightstand is more than just a place to rest your alarm clock and stash your books. It’s an essential part of any bedroom and can make or break the whole look. Never fear if you’re unsure how to style a nightstand like a pro! We’ve got some great tips to help you get started.

Choose the design of the nightstand.
When it comes to nightstands, design can be an important factor in both style and practicality. Depending on the bedroom’s decor, many different designs could work well – from a sleek modern look to more ornate designs with detailed carvings and even multiple drawers to increase storage space. Whatever design you choose, ensure it is safe and of good construction. Think about things like how easy it will open and close, as well as whether you need extras like shelves or lighting – these all affect the overall feel of your bedroom when making this important decision.

Choose a theme or style for your nightstand – this could be anything from minimalist to glam.
When it comes to decorating, often the little details make the biggest difference. Setting an intentional style or theme for your nightstand can be a great way to finish off the overall aesthetic of your bedroom. Whether you’re going for a minimalist look, with just one statement lamp and a book or two, or you want something more glam, with trinkets, candles, and greenery – there are no wrong choices here! Finding what makes you feel at home is key when deciding on the perfect nightstand style, whatever it may be.

Pick out a few key pieces that fit your chosen theme, including a lamp, alarm clock, and framed photo.
Whether one is looking to spruce up a bedroom, add some bright accents to a living space, or make a cozy reading corner, ATAMIN’s Ava Bedside Table with Lamp and USB-C Charging Station is the perfect addition. Not only does this item come with its own integrated lamp and built-in USB ports for easy device charging, but it also features a signature minimalist design making it an unobtrusive yet statement piece. The sleek lines and natural oak shade of ATAMIN’s bedside table is sure to be the stylish touch that ties any room together. Paired with your chosen alarm clock and framed photo, ATAMIN’s Ava Bedside Table will provide light, function and style as the key pieces for completing any theme.

Arrange your items on the nightstand in a way that is pleasing to the eye
Nightstands often can become a hodgepodge of items that do not necessarily convey harmony and balance. Finding a way to arrange your nightstand items to blend aesthetically together is one small way you can inject beauty and serenity into your space. The arrangement of items on your nightstand should be aesthetically pleasing, from height variations to colors and shapes. If nothing else, remember this one thing when arranging your nightstand: less is more. Keep it simple and mindful with only a few pieces that collectively convey understated elegance.

Add some finishing touches, such as a plant or scented candle.
Making a home feel complete can often be tricky, as it is such a personal thing tailored to our individual tastes. That being said, there are certain details that everyone appreciates, bringing a space warmth. Such touches could include adding a fresh-cut or silk flower or even placing a pot of lavender on your windowsill to fill your home with its calming aroma. Further, lightening a scented candle can bring inviting colors whilst instilling an atmosphere of comfort and peace. Even the simplest touches, like bringing in a flower arraignment for those special occasions, have been proven to lift the spirits and bring joy; all these small finishing touches make for an exciting journey towards creating your own unique space.

After considering the design, theme or style, pieces, and arrangement of your nightstand, you can now finish off your nightstand by adding some special touches that fit with the overall theme. This could be a plant to live up the air quality in your bedroom or maybe even a scented candle to create ambiance in a room. Whatever you choose, make sure it adds something to the overall feel of the space. Now is the time to step back and admire your work – you have thoughtfully planned and brought together a nightstand of your dreams. So don’t wait any longer and start styling your nightstand! With these ideas, you are sure to end up with a room accessory that both looks beautiful and reflects who you are as an individual.