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Showing posts from July, 2014

New necklace

I received my new necklace today from Sunflower Farms & Shop and I LOVE IT!  It says give them roots & wings and it's a great reminder to me of my awesome and sometimes excruciatingly hard job as a mom.  We work very hard on establishing roots, made a little extra challenging as an adoptive family.  And while you might not associate "roots" with "traveling family", you can't get much closer or develop deeper relationships than a family living in a 400 square foot box together 24/7/365.  Our four years traveling together helped us grow much closer than we ever were living in a house.  But as they're getting older (12-14 right now, how did that happen?!), I need to strengthen their wings too.  While I would prefer they stay little and have no need for wings, they refuse to stop growing.  We joke about the 18/30 rule (once they hit 18, they have 30 days to leave), but honestly I can't imagine them not being here.  Alas, they will leave on

RV storage shelves

In an attempt to keep up with the Joneses, or in our case the Johnsons, and have more storage space, we added some shelves to the boys' room. Boots are harder to store than flip flops! A year and a half ago, I said we probably weren't finished with shoe storage . Guess I was right.

First rain-watering

This isn't a particularly exciting photo, but it's the inaugural watering of the greenhouse with the rainwater collection tank.  I'd post a photo of the tank, but it's boring white and I think anything boring should be spray painted!  So maybe soon... We have a great well, but this will save on electric from the well pump. Plus it'll be a great backup if the electricity goes out or the zombies come. :)

To the lake

Allen took me on a 4-wheeler ride to the lake because it's always pretty when it's foggy.  Although it wasn't foggy when we got down there.  Luckily it's always pretty anyway!  Jack ran the whole way with us, so he was happy to take a very long dip to cool off.   We figured the waterfall would be cranking with all this rain. Nope again. But still pretty.  Maybe next time we'll have better luck.  I'm sure we'll have fun either way.  It's hard not to on a 4-wheeler!

More animal confusion

More of our animal identity confusion. I won't even tell you what the cat and chickens were fighting over, because it's against my TMI policy.  You're welcome.  They seem to be getting along just fine though, since tonight I found the cat on the bottom perch in the chicken coop. Fill in the blank: The missing chicken was finally found sleeping _____. If you guessed "on the goat" you are correct!  It was dark and we were a chicken short, but couldn't find it anywhere.  Then we heard it in the goat pen, but couldn't see it because it blended into Annie's back.  The cat got into the dog food today.  Literally INTO it.  And this is how she got her name Walker Kitty.  She's so zombie-ish sometimes with her meals, it's disturbing. 

Our first home raised chicken dinner

Tonight's dinner? The blond sister! And it was sooooo yummy! This was our first raised-from-a-chick-chicken dinner. Tasty, free range, $1.50, and the ultimate revenge for her pecking Allen in the eyeball.  Remember how little they were? Awww. So cute. The two blond sisters went to the top of the pecking order and got pretty hefty (no offense sisters!) Lessons here?  1. Homegrown food is inexpensive and tasty.  2. Don't peck Allen in the eyeball.

Animal identity crisis

There's an animal identity crisis happening here on the RVstead.  The cat already thinks she's a chicken .  Tonight we couldn't find the last chicken and after a long search, one of "the insignificants" was found asleep in the goat feeder box, while the goats got into the chicken coop, and the kitten was in the goat pen.  Earlier the goats were trying to steal the rabbits' food.  Deuce was busted because there was grease on the bottom of their new feeder boxes. :)  He tried to act natural. In the goat pen, with a chicken and a kitten randomly hanging out in the background.  It gets a little weird around here. 

Cuteness overload

It doesn't get much cuter than Matt or goats, but both together?  Too much cute. :)  This is a typical chain of events around here.  Matt hugs Annie... Lily jumps on Matt... Deuce moves in for a kiss. Goats are so weird. And fun!

Irony

So this happened.  Oh the irony!  Of all days, this day we decided to eat our first chicken and Allen was outside processing it as this truck pulled up.  When she hopped out and cheerily asked "Do you need any fresh chicken or steak?" Allen pointed to the very, very fresh chicken hanging behind him and said "Well, we're cleaning a chicken now, so I think we're good."  The look on her face was PRICELESS!  Honestly, I can't imagine why they're doing random sales calls in these mountains. 1. We all provide our own food.  2.  Most people have signs warning that you are likely to get shot.  3. You are actually likely to get shot! 

Free rangers

Every day, these five chickens go through the woods to our neighbor's land. We stopped to apologize one day for their wandering ways, and they actually thanked us because they were keeping the bugs away. They put out water and give them treats! They've even named them (which is nice since we call them "the insignificants" except for the blond sister)! Then around dusk, they walk back home and go to bed in the coop. Serious free rangers. Allen says we have free rangers and free loaders.  The free loaders stay home and beg for food all day. :) 

What RVing Families Really Do

Love this! (Especially that we kinda fit into all of them.)  My parents will surely appreciate this too!  Thanks to Kimberly Travaglino from Fulltime Families for this fun representation of fulltime RVing!

Long day

Today was a good, but long and hard day.  I made blackberry jelly (or any kind of jelly!) for the first time!  Last time I attempted it, I ended up with a jam/syrup type substance, which was yummy, just not jelly. :) As usual, Walker Kitty slept in odd places.   As did Lizzy.  We ate the first green beans from the garden. So good!  I don't think any of us will ever go back.  And our cucumbers are so good and also nothing like what you buy from a store.  Both of our rabbits decided to give birth today (despite us making sure not to schedule that), and it didn't go well again.  They lost quite a few and it was really sad.  During some of our waiting time, the goats entertained us.  Josh buried some tires for a Loch Ness Monster play set (although it's so rocky, he didn't bury them very deep!).  They played follow the leader and butted each other off.   Their favorite thing to do is to wildly jump off things sideways, flipping around as they go. It's

The chickitten? Kittken? Kitchicken?

As usual, we couldn't find the kitten.  I asked the kids, who reported seeing her asleep behind the hitch and inside a bucket earlier (because that's normal?), but she wasn't there or in any of her usual unusual spots.  Finally I peeked inside the chicken coop and spied some ears sticking up from inside a nesting box. I lifted the lid to reveal this.  Nice and cozy, it is a nest after all.  "What? They're not using it yet." She keeps eating with the chickens too. It's getting a little weird.  I'm just not sure if she realizes what a cat is.  7/22

Josh's new ATV

Josh has been working and saving up to buy this, his first ATV. He is SO excited. As an "I told you so" a learning opportunity, it's a fixer upper and he's learned a LOT about ATV maintenance.  He's worked hard on different parts that don't work and has it running right now.  He's also learned the hard way about leaving some money in the bank for a helmet, repairs, tires, oil, gas, etc. This is in the driveway, slow, and for the camera, so save your comments about helmets, thanks! :) Of course Allen had to show him the technique.  Jack didn't like the lack of attention and decided to take action. 7/18

Deuce

Those tiny horn stubs sure can cause a lot of laughter for us trouble for poor Deuce.  We try not to leave the cans out, but the chickens knock them over.   I think they like to laugh at him too! 7/8

Greenhouse

The greenhouse is sure bright and happy.  We have lots of seeds started, so we're just waiting to see if they grow.  I found a spot for a stool that's been in the way in the RV.  It's not really a "greenhouse" type stool, but it does match. :) We have strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, peas, beans, onions, corn, pumpkins, peppers, cucumbers... whatever the little plastic spoons say. :)  I looked outside just in time to see Walker Kitty giving Lizzy some love.  ❤