Yay, White Oak!

Jason got his wood in last week to do his board and batting walls of the shed-ma-hall. Why white oak and not pressure treated pine? Cheaper (60 cents a board foot, no chemicals, and it is somewhat naturally rot resistant.

Picked my first potatoes. We ate some for lunch today. Yum! To know they came from my backyard gives me much pleasure. And now, to know how simple they are to produce, I will definitely grow them every year... In fact, I believe I have time to go at it again. I just need to prepare a spot for them. We already put in the sweet potatoes... I put cucumbers where the white potatoes were... and I want to plant more green beans... Yikes, my brain is starting to overload... My energies are not up for what my mind would like to do yet, so I must constantly remind myself that it is okay to take it easy and enjoy some slow time with Zachary.

So Zach and I have started going outside in the mornings. He naps in his jogger, and I piddle around in the garden... And each day is a new day.

A Manic Monday Welcomes the Shed-ma-hall!

Well, I'm not yet in Manic Mode, but I should be. I pack to go to The Farm for a month. I'll leave this coming Sunday.

Jason is in Manic Mode, however. Even since last week. He prepared for his Barn Raising, and that happened on Saturday. What a day! We didn't have the turnout that we were hoping for (probably because it was a holiday weekend), but family and a couple good friends did help, and what a job they accomplished!

The goal was to raise 3 beam-frames. Each are quite heavy, and could not be easily lifted by the amount of guys we had, so Plan A was attempted and failed (the Jetta lift technique managed to lift the Jetta, not the frame). Plan B was to rent an Ultra Forklift and it worked! Straps were tied to the frame and lifted with the forklift. Pretty Cool! (Actually it was hot and sunny--J got a nice sunburn.)

Everyone worked from 9am to ~3pm. For lunch I served spaghetti and meatballs, since we only had 4 extra guys to feed, along with a fresh picked salad (my sister picked), steamed kale and carrots (which no one was interested in trying). For dessert, a birthday cake, since literally everyone but 3 people had their birthdays in March and April! My Dad's being April Fool's, I try to surprise him a bit each year.

The guys were happy and exhausted after work Saturday. Especially Jason. It is a major start to getting this workshed done. The slab has been waiting since our wedding 2005. Originally, Jason planned on a strawbale structure, but because he needs a workshop sooner, he decided on timberframes. He can, if he chooses, in the future, switch to strawbale, I think. Also, he is considering solar power on the roof, but that will be a fun project in the future, too. For the meantime, he'll be busy building his "Shed-ma-hall" (18' at the peak, 27' square area)... then our new front porch... then a new roof on the house...

Jason Puts Up a Wall

Our Library is on its way to completion. Jason put up a wall near the entryway just before he came down with the stomach flu, Yuck! Poor thing... So, now I just need to put together the final bookshelf for the living room to finish our library.

Other things:

J built the compost bin higher

I am sewing more and more, mostly baby stuff and maternity items

Composting Toilet is still working out great, although J did switch to the city toilet during his illness. We are about to store the peat moss in a covered trash can to protect it from rain (not necessary, just something to make me feel better--I don't like the wet peat moss at the bottom of the bag)

The Garden is going pitifully well. There is still mesclun to pick. Turnips survived without any protection, although I didn't eat too many. J pruned the fruit trees a couple weeks back. I have started my Spring/Summer garden plans. They will be nice a simple to accomodate my pregnant state. I'm thinking, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, radish, and beans, lots of marigolds and cosmos, and, if I feel up to it, some other things.

I've started started laundering my baby stuff. We are starting to implement a greywater environment, meaning, switching to greywater friendly soaps. First is the laundry detergeant. We found a recipe to base a liquid soap made from our bio-deisel supplies. We need to do a couple of experiments, but it looks easy enough.

Bio-Deisel, by the way, is going fine. Production is much slower in the wintertime, saved for warm weekends. We use 70% bio-deisel, 30% regular deisel in the winter, but we drive less too (summer we use 100% bio-D).
So, still, overall, throughout the year, we emit 10% of what we were with our old Nissan gasoline Stanza.

Well, I can't think of any other homesteading updates. I'm just taking it day by day with this pregnancy thing, and nesting when I feel like it. Housecleaning is kept to a minimum, but I am having bouts of deep cleaning too, which is always fun. "J, can I get rid of this? or J, can I build this?"

Oh, forgot to say, drying laundry outside on the clothesline still going fine. I just have to remember, watch the weather, although rain-washed baby clothes are great! (We've had our line for 2 years, now? and probably for the last year I have been using is regularly. I've only used the dryer 4 times in the past year...)

Hold on, Let me get some more firewood...

Another cold morning. We use the fireplace most days. On days where I am out running errands we use the thermostat, and if the outside temp in high fifties or about, the windows and screen door is opened (like yesterday, awe, fresh air).
Using the fireplace makes the house more dry, so it is perfect for drying some laundry.
No matter how we're heating the house, if the sun is shining, the front door is open to let the warming sunshine in through the glass door.

So this past month I built 3 floor to ceiling bookshelves, and have plans to do one more in the living room, and a wardrobe in the bedroom. All this is in preparation for baby due at the end of June. Since we are going to use cloth diapers, I am diligently researching and designing a diaper station, diaper bag layout, and everything else that goes with a baby. I guess diapers are a big one in my mind. HA!

Jason has been crazy busy at work so he hasn't been able to work on many of his projects, although, since it is cold out, I've noticed he's been doing more computer and paperwork stuff. We did start our taxes last week, but have yet to wrap that up. Maybe this weekend. Jason did get his lumber, and it has been drying for the past month. He plans to put up his beams mid February, weather permitting. I'm so excited to think he'll have a workshop soon! Okay, well I am also thinking that, finally, I will get my metal roof, front porch, and garden shed not far afterwards, but, now I won't feel so bad. Hehe!

I actually stuck to my grocery budget this month, yay! We are using the old envelope system, which helps me not to overspend, and thus, keeps us on track to pay off our house this year. Mortgage burning party? I think so. Looks like somewhere between August and October depending on whatever life brings us.

Homemade Spice shelves Make Space, and a Renewed passion for the Power Drill

Last weekend, after being prompted by Jason to get my stuff off the floor, I decided to devote a whole day to a slow paced carpentry lesson, which seemed to help me forget my nausea. I pretty much had the boards cut to size, the quarter-round measured, and Jason was there to guide me along the way. Both shelves are serving to clear up some cabinet space. The shelf to the left holds all my spices, and the shelf to the right holds all my teas and mugs. In this process I ended up weeding out my cabinets of miscellaneous jars (now donated to Jason's future shed), and plastic tupperware, which I am scheming to get completely out of my house (they are so awkward to store.)

All in all, I am very happy with this project and feel encouraged to get on that built-in bookshelf that I've been dreaming about. It shouldn't take too long, especially with my new power drill skills, and it will immediately clear up another big section of space--a freestanding bookshelf which will be also donated to Jason's future shed.

Speaking of the shed, Jason got his plans revised and renewed. He also got his beam joints in the mail the other day. So now all he needs to do is pick up his beams that have been cut and are waiting on him at the saw mill. Then we'll see some action! I cannot wait, because not only will he have a kickin' workshop, we'll have loads more space in our utility room, which has been housing misc. tools, garden supplies, and such that currently won't fit into the cluttered 6'x 10' workshop. Yes, I have an agenda with that space, but only to improve the functioning of the household. The small workshop will house primarily gardening stuff; the utility room will be a better laundry room and hold our bicycling gear. This house is in a constant shifting cycle, especially with the seasons, so more organized, the easier, period.

Merry Christmas-time!

I guess I'm in the mood for Christmas, although the weather has been strangely WARM? Well, I've been enjoying my mesclun salads, and spreading around the fallen leaves for compost.
Actually I am almost through my first trimester of pregnancy, and finally feeling a little more like myself. I've had a little nausea, and much fatigue, so I haven't been getting too much done around the house.
Now that I am feeling more energetic, I've got plenty to do. Christmas gifts, baking, mailing cards, etc...
Next house project is my spice shelf. I've got the boards cut, but they've been on the floor for the past month. I can't wait to get them up. It should free up some cubbard space in my utterly tiny kitchen.
Also for the past month Jason's been down with a hurt back. So no composting toillette. We do miss it though, because it surprisingly kept the stench down!
Now that we're expecting, I am hoping to finish setting up the rest of the house before June, my due date. No problem! Ya right! We'll see what actually gets done. After these spice shelves, I plan to build my built in bookshelf (and get rid of a free standing one.