Progress!

Little by little, the backyard is finally coming along this year. We got the garden put in, and planted some seeds and plants.

We did put a fence around it, to keep the dogs out.
I had the river birch taken down out front as well. It stinks because it did shade the house. It was dying. The last wind storm we had, it was moving at the base. Growing up in Washington, I've seen too many trees come down. I figured it was better to be proactive. I will plant some new trees next year.

The boys and I made several trips to the dump this past week, we got rid of all the limbs. My boss will come by this weekend and take the rest of the wood.
I then proceeded to weed under the blue spruce, and planted some lilies.

My blueberry plants are thriving

 I'm excited that I have blueberries!
We worked on clearing out the back corner of our lot. It was full of branches and old pieces of wood left over by the previous owner.  We cleaned it up, and then began spreading out the compost from the compost pile I made last year. Truthfully, I didnt think the compost was going to break down. I figured it wasnt wet enough here. I was delighted to see that it did work. We used to to fill in the holes that we had. Our next project will be to take down some trees this weekend. The trees in the back were planted too close together, and several are not doing well. My goal is to next year, plant some new trees (probably fruit). I am not sure what type yet, I have time to plan it out. My goal is to try to get this yard to produce as much fruit and veggies if not more, as I had in Washington. This lot is 5 times as big, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem. The biggest obstacle to to plan, so that everything is functional.

Self reliance

I love how there seems to be a revival to be self reliant. We are making a family goal to reuse what we can, cut down on waste, and grow more food. Granted, my home sits on .17 acres, I am curious how much food I can grow/ raise. I have hens, I get 2-3 eggs a day ( its winter. Over the summer I'd get 5-7 a day). I have been researching and looking up sites that talk about being more self reliant. I will post our ideas later...

Preparing for Thanksgiving

This past week, we celebrated our oldest turning 17. I think, where has the time gone. He chose to stay home. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

I have spent the last couple weeks looking up gardening ideas on Pinterest. I have found several. I am going to try them this spring. I am already planning my to do list for this spring. I really want to build an awning this year.
I want the back patio to be covered. I plan to also string a clothesline once it is built. I love hanging clothes to dry. Not only do they smell better, but it's money I save by not running the dryer. 

I have been working hard on being frugal, especially since we are living on one income while my husband is in school.  So far, we are doing ok. There is always room for improvement.

I have been working on getting more organized. The kids and I gathered 6 garbage bags of clothes and one big box of shoes. I gave these to a friend who was collecting clothing items for the Union Gospel Mission. I am still going thru items, some which I am trying to sell. I fixed a quilt I got from my Grandmother years ago. The boys were excited to use it again. It's a flannel patchwork quilt. It's soft and warm.