We haven’t taken on many new projects as of late; as I wrote about recently our focus has shifted to doing fewer things well. We are continuing to milk the goats, tend the chickens and rabbits, and homeschool.

We also homestead in other ‘little’ ways. We cook from scratch, we knit and sew, we cut our boys’ hair ourselves …. anything where you’re not hiring someone out or buying something pre-made is certainly homesteading. Rachel has been a rockstar in the kitchen, keeping everyone fed on a minimal amount of packaged foods. Are we perfect at that? No, but we’re probably in one of the best positions we’ve ever been. We’re at a point where the ingredients we buy aren’t exactly organic, but at least have no sugar and no (or few) preservatives. I say few because there are plenty of preservatives like salt and vinegar that we don’t worry about.

Meanwhile, I’ve had a few of my own successes. I’ve gotten quite good at Paul Hollywood’s Baguettes, and I’ve gotten through three of five sweaters that I wanted to knit by the end of the year. I said almost 2 years ago that knitting Rachel a sweater that she would actually be comfortable wearing in public was on my short list. I think I’m almost there, but not quite. Here’s a sample of one of the ones I’ve done for the boys so far:

Rachel is getting into making Advent wreaths after a hiatus last year. Some years ago when she was looking for an Advent wreath for ourselves she found herself disappointed in the styles available. So, she made her own and started an Etsy shop to sell them to others. It’s been a nice ‘Christmas Club’ sort of activity.

The kids have grown a lot in their schooling so far this year. I pause to add homeschooling into a post about homesteading in the ‘little’ ways, and I probably shouldn’t. Trust me, homeschooling is NOT a little thing. I include it because while homeschooling is allowed (albeit regulated) everywhere, goats and chickens are regrettably not accessible to everyone. As I write this Gabe is reading aloud Curious George to Luke and Daniel of his own accord. After more than 3 years of schooling, of all the ‘I don’t like reading,’ the ‘I don’t know how,’ the ‘Here, YOU read it’ …. he’s FINALLY reading of his own accord and enjoying it. All it took was switching his reading materials to Calvin & Hobbes and Harry Potter. Material is everything.

Rachel had a great idea to put pots behind the sink in the kitchen to grow our own greens. I like house plants, and I like sustainability too, so I was all in on this idea. So, she picked up a plant light bulb and a few heads of hydroponic lettuces and we potted them to function as both decor and as food. If it looks to you like this project isn’t going well, it’s because it isn’t. The lettuce didn’t seem to take to transplanting, it just continues to inexplicably wilt and die off. We haven’t ditched these lettuces yet as I half wonder if we cut off the dead parts the plant may revive and start with new growth. Even if we do have to dispose of these heads, we will have to find a way to have fresh, potted lettuce in our kitchen via another route.

Any advice from readers who may have done this before is welcome – whether it be a suggestion of a different variety or process, I’d be glad for any shout outs here. Two years into homesteading, and we’re still learning – for sure.