hey friends! I’m back with another weekly roundup. I didn’t do one last week because I was traveling back from Vermont and the whole past week was either spent working or getting ready for Vermont and then having fun in Vermont! So you can read all about those adventures here. This week though….I do have some things to share. So sit back and let’s chat!

I have been working both at the school subbing and then coming home and working on my little business. It’s maple syrup time…ugh…why oh why didn’t I take a picture of that and share it with you all?!?! Well, I guess it’s because I’ve been so busy working and homesteading that I just didn’t take a ton of pictures this past week. I am settling in with the new camera. I’m still figuring out how it works and how it focuses. It seems to be different in that regards to my old camera. So I take lots of pictures and hope that I found the right settings and focal point! Anyway. So I worked a lot. But I did have some time to catch up on some other things too.

I made a loaf of bread with my fancy flour I got at King Arthur Flour last week. It was a little dense so I’ll work on that. I’ve been boiling the sap into syrup. So far I have 13-3/4 pints and 1-pint. I’ll can some more this weekend. I’ll hopefully get one more round of the sap. The weather is turning nicer and the trees are starting to bud but I’m hoping for one more run. We’ll see. I want to start using the maple syrup instead of white sugar so I’m hoping to get enough syrup to use for eating yummy things like pancakes and waffles, but also to use when I bake. I also want to use honey for baking as well so I should be okay with however much syrup I get.

So, as you all are aware, things are being canceled due to the coronavirus. Some of my classes have been canceled, which is a bummer, but I get it. We all need to take our precautions. We’ll reschedule all the classes so that’s a positive. Check back here often for updates and if you are planning on attending any classes, either on the homestead or otherwise, give a quick call to the venue to see how things are shaking out. And, if you know me, you’ll know some time on the homestead will be just fine with me! I’m such a homebody.

Speaking of. Now that I have some classes cancel and I’m ‘forced’ to be home for a few weeks, I’m thinking the next two weeks will be a good time to get some things done that are on the to-do list. Do you guys want to know what’s on that list?!?! It’s a long one! Here goes:
1. write a business plan (how do I still not have this done?!?!)
2. process grapes (remember them from last fall?)
3. grind meat and fat
4. write candles class
5. write cheese class
6. write crock pot soap class
7. freezer spreadsheet
8. order this years meat
9. sourdough starter
10. make face cleanser
11. make lotion
12. make shampoo
13. paperwork! Fun!
14. order seeds
15. order chicks!!
16. fix up chicken coop and run
17. send newsletter (sign up using the form in the sidebar if you haven’t already!)
18. finish chalkboard wall (this might be seen on a later to-do list)
19. paint upstairs (ditto)
20. organize class materials, order supplies needed

So not too bad. I have a few things on the list that I didn’t share, like blog posts. I have a few in mind that I need to do but I want to surprise you all. So I think in total I have about 28 items on my to-do list. I have 14 days to get it all done. Well, not all of it but the majority of it. So that’s essentially 2 tasks per day. I think I can accomplish that.

What else? I had my first after school program at a new venue. We celebrated a dear friend’s birthday! That was fun. All I can say about school this past week was it was a full moon the same week as friday the 13th. Whew! But it was fun too. I like teaching. But I also felt like I was runny on empty this week. I was going to bed later than I like and getting up around 6am every day. So today I actually slept until 8:30am! That is so totally unheard of. But I don’t feel braindead anymore. And I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks of getting things done.

Oh. If you read the post about Vermont, you might have noticed that I mentioned the trip was one of growth for me. I didn’t mention the details in that post but I wanted to mention it here. And maybe you guys didn’t even notice that I said something! Well, anyway. I just realized that things are good. Life is good. I’m happy. And if you’ve followed along for any length of time, you might have noted that I’ve been making some changes-some big, some small-over the past year or so. I started a business last year and saw some good success. I want to keep growing the business. I love it and I love what I do. I love sharing my homesteading successes, and failures, with you all. I’ve also made changes to my emotional and mental well being. I see things from a different perspective now. or at least I try! I’ve found my ‘tribe’ as far as friends and community goes. I feel like this place that we live is home and I strive to show that to you with my pictures and my stories. I have a wonderful husband, known as the Mister. He gets me. And I get him. We’ll celebrate 19 years of marriage this year and I honestly feel like we just keep getting closer and closer. But seriously y’all, where does the time go?

And I think Vermont, for me, was a culmination of all that growth hitting me and saying to me: you’re good. You’ve got this. And if there are things that you are not happy with or that don’t bring you joy, it’s okay to let them go. It’s okay to move on. To grow. To change. To stay the same. Just keep on doing and being you.

Okay. Enough of that! Let’s chat about you. How was your week? What brought you joy? Have you had to let things go recently? I’m back to this space full time now and I want to hear all about the things.

And before we go, how about some quick Friday Favorites?

A Little Bit of Everything / Momfessionals / Grace and Love

1. In case you missed the sourdough starter, I bought this one from King Arthur last week. I’m starting the feeding as we speak. According to King Arthur, you must feed it within 10 days! Here goes nothing!
2. A few posts ago, I promised that if I ever found the color of the walls in the living room I’d let you know. Well, I found it! It’s Valspar Inhale CI6. And I love it.
3. Let’s read this book next! And then let’s have some fun and make some pasta together! YES??

’til next time
-k
xoxo