Homestead Update

 So Mike has totally taken over the bee thing (thank goodness) and has decided to increase our two hives to SIX!  (He has gotten a little crazy about the bees...its really cute though.)  However, with the really warm weather we had so early, he forgot to keep an eye on the girls and they decided to swarm before we had time to put another box on.  Luckily though they did not go far. 

Carson was trying to tell me to go look at something and I blew him off all day because I was working in the yard, and you know when you actually go look at something for the thousandth time it usually isn't anything and you feel your time was wasted..terrible mom, I know!    Well, he decided to ask again later that evening when  I was still working and I felt bad for telling him no all day.....thank goodness I did.  He was the one to discover the missing swarm.

 Here is a great friend of ours named Mike who came over and captured the swarm for me because I was not going to do it. My Mike was still at work so Mike, our friend, said he would come and take care of it.   When bees swarm like this they usually don't stay for too long before they take off again thus the urgency.

 Now onto our little piggies we are doing with 4-H.  This is the day they came.  I think it was just a few days after I had Tatum. 

 We are raising one for us and the rest for others.  Pigs are really interesting..they are a lot like a dog.  I am trying not to get too attached because of the inevitable which will come in a few months but they sure have got lots of personality to them.

 I am very excited to say I have fruit on everyone of my trees this year!!!  Not a lot of fruit but they are working and doing there thing!  So exciting to see the beauty of nature.  Thanks to Marilyn B. and Jaine they helped me discover my love for this process.  This tree is a mixed cherry.

 Here is a peach and we also have pears and apples too. I hope, hope, hope we can eat a fruit off of them and keep the bugs away. 

 This little stick is a hybrid poplar.  We planted 21 of these babies but I think we have lost 8 already.  These puppies are suppose to get huge, fast and that is what we are counting on. 

 I have attempted the hay-newspaper trick in between the walkways with my strawberries. I don't know if I like it or not. I think it makes it look sloppy, but I really don't want to fight weeds all summer long.

 This was actually done today.  I am so behind on planting.  The first row on the right is all potatoes (never done before so we will see) and the next three rows are all corn.  I am hoping for a better harvest with the corn this year than last. 

I didn't start anything inside....I have been busy.  So I bought and planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and basil so far.  Now that we got into the 90s yesterday I better get my bum in gear and get things going!

 Here are my helpers.  They are such great kids.

 Now onto the house progress.  I think the last time I posted on the basement this is what it looked like. 

 This is what it looks like now.  Well, actually we have furniture in it but those pictures will have to come later. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  I now have a place to banish the kids to if I have to.  Plus, I can finally get my computer out of our room and move it down here.  We put in a kids work station too so will show that later as well.  A very small space but I am going to squeeze every ounce of function that I can out of it.

 Here is the kings office.  Yes, Michael has his own room.  Spoiled?  YES

And just for the heck of it another picture of my little tater.  He is not this little now and I will have to do a catch up on this little angel too.