Square Foot Gardening

I'm really excited to show you guys my new garden.  I have never had a garden before and I was excited to get my hands dirty:)  Thankfully, I have friends that are willing to share their secrets about gardening and how it all works.  So they were kind enough to introduce me to Square Foot Gardening.  It's very easy to do and to maintain.  I have so many things sprouting at the moment: lettuce, pumpkin, tomatoes, marigolds, hot peppers, gourds, etc.  Everyday the kids go outside and see the progress.  Not only am I having fun gardening but Austin is really taking pride of his work and gets just as excited as I do.  Go check out the site out if you are interested in starting one. 

I would love to see other square foot gardening pictures so if you want to share email me at mammatortilla@gmail.com and send over your pictures :)

Leslie

The Chickens Are Here

Please Welcome

Four Beautiful Baby Chickens

Born April 4, 2010

With Love,
Leslie, Scott, Austin and Chloe







hehe!! The chicks get their own birth announcement :) It was so special for them to be born on Easter. We are so excited to have them. I'll post more pics as they grow :)


Leslie

Week 1: Meet The New Members of Our Family

We are so excited to share pictures of the new members of our family ......8 chicken eggs. Mommy Meatloaf was very nice to give us some eggs so we can hatch them, we do have to give them back though. I remember doing this in kindergarten and thought it would be a great learning experience for Austin and Chloe. We started a journal so we can track how our eggs are doing each week and I will be posting them here so everyone can follow . Austin did name his eggs: Two, Egg, Ryan, Molly, Miles, Hailey, Russy, and Poop (yes he did name one poop).

Made From Scratch

Just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it. Jenna Woginrich does a great job of simplifying how to start your own homestead no matter where you live. She is funny throughout the whole book and keeps you interested. If you want to know more about raising your own chickens, sled dogs, sewing (of course we are), cooking or just interested in a simpler life. READ THIS BOOK! She also has a blog at Cold Antler Farm.

The Greenhorns

My secret dream has always been to have a farm and have livestock. CRAZY I KNOW! When I was younger my mom always said she wanted a farm (she is actually looking to buy land in Colombia to have a farm). Since Austin and Chloe have been born, I have changed in so many different ways. I want to give them a farm and teach them how to take care of it, want them to go outside and breathe fresh air, I want them to learn how to grow and eat fresh vegetables, I want to show them how to sew and more importantly teach them how to appreciate the simpler things in life.

Since taking a leap of faith and going from a 9-5 career woman to a stay at home mom and living within our means. My outlook on food, clothing, commercialism, and wants vs. needs have changed. Its been hard trying to explain to friends how our lifestyle has changed and not having them judge us because now we don't have the money to have the "in" clothes or go out to dinner. I have learned to shop smarter, go to consignment stores/thrift stores, have learned how to make homemade applesauce!! Before I stayed home, I couldn't even boil water. NO JOKE! But, now that I have "less", my family and I are so much happier! Crazy how that works.

So my first step into farm life.....a chicken. Yes, my family and I will get an egg from Mommy Meatloaf and see it hatch into a chicken. Unfortunately, we can't keep it because of where we live but its our first step.

It feels really good to write this all down and actually get it out. So here is a clip from a documentary about young farmers. Maybe one day it will be The Rhodes Family :)