Family Farm Fun

I can't believe summer is quickly winding down. Here are some of the fun things we did in July. Kool-aid Dyed Hair This was a “girls only” activity because Bubs’ hair is too short. So he was a helper and liked playing with the gloves. After looking at a few recipes and strategies online, I came up with this technique. Supplies (per person/color): 3 packets of Kool-aid (the kind without the added sugar) 1 cup boiling water 2 tablespoons conditioner Old towel(s) Saran wrap Hair clips Gloves Hair dryer Steps: Isolate the hair that you plan to color. The girls wanted to just dye the bottom tips of their hair, so no isolation was needed. Put on gloves Mix the Kool-aid packets into the water Add the conditioner Make a garbage bag dress (which the girls thought was funny). If dipping, sit back in a chair allowing the ends of your hair to rest in the mixture for 5 minutes. If saturating, begin applying the mixture to the entire strand of hair

Fresh fruits and vegetables are my favorite aspect of gardening. I am NOT a green thumb by any means, but with the help of Boots and the kids, we make it work. We have a rather large plot in the back of our yard and fertilized it with pig manure all winter. To prepare the area, Boots tilled the ground (like five times due to rain) to mix in the the fertilizer and break up the weeds that grew over the end of last season. After that, he raked out the big chunks, and leveled the ground. The girls get a hand in picking out what we plant, and love going with us to the local greenhouse, Marty’s Yarden. This year, we planted extra fruits and vegetables because the pig and chickens will be able to eat any excess that we cannot keep up on. We bought the following seedlings at Marty’s: Cantaloupe Watermelon Cucumbers Strawberries Bell peppers Sweet peppers Hot peppers Zucchini Tomatoes Brussels sprouts After some trial and error and performing some research, we we

We spend a lot of time on the farm over the summer since neither the kids or I have school. However, June is packed with swimming lessons, baseball games, and the summer reading program, which means we spend more time at home than at the farm. Even though we keep a fairly busy schedule in June, we still have downtime that I like to fill with fun backyard activities. Hopefully, you will be able to try some of them too. Fairy Garden This is our third year planting a fairy garden. The first year PICTURE it was a small, container garden, but last year we expanded so that there would be more room for plants and accessories. The girls enjoy taking care of it and playing in it, but last year Bubs especially enjoyed sitting in it and destroying it. I don’t think he will be as concerned with it this year, so we should be able to expand. Our area is just blocked off with leftover pavers from the patio. We have built up our accessories from my mom, grandma, and great aunt. Last year, w

Festus is definitely enjoying the warmer weather and being able to root around. We have *finally* built him a permanent outdoor enclosure, so he has a decent safe space in the yard where he can play and dig. Getting belly rubs from Bah He shares his pen with the chickens which is pretty entertaining. They get along quite well and keep him from getting lonely. It is funny that the chickens are terrified of the dog but are very friendly with the pig, especially because the dog and pig are currently about the same size. Inside of their pen is the chicken coop (which stays open for shade), a small covered lean-to, a swimming pool, and plenty of food and water. Festus still sleeps in his cage in the garage, but when I let him out each morning he runs straight to his pen (hoping to sneak into the chicken feed I think). Inside the coop   Festus turned 6 months old on April 30th, and to celebrate we had watermelon. His currents stats are Weight: 20-25 pounds Le