It has been a solid 8 months since my first (and last) Homestead Happenings post. I think it's time for another, and seeing how we just started into September, I figured why not make this one about what all happened on the homestead in August, 2018? Sure... why not!
August, 2018
A Big Craft Fair
We started off August doing our largest craft fair to date. It was a two day event and a very good one for us! There were about 20,000 visitors and we made close to $1,500 in total sales. That being said, the tax man gets his cut, then 50% of what's left goes back into the business for material costs, then we pay back any other expenses, etc. So our real take-home was less, but still a wonderful blessing to have. We're full-time crafters and are trying our hardest at making a living from it.
Sold a Mower, Bought a Mower
I sold a commercial walk behind mower I had purchased back in the spring. It was a Great Dane 36" dual hydro mower... for those who may wonder. :-) I went back and forth debating whether to stick the money into savings (because... no "real full time job", ya know) or use some of it to buy a new mower. My current mower was an old (15+ years old) riding mower that had many problems. My wife finally talked me into purchasing a new one. She pointed out how we may not have such an amount of money in the future and that we may find ourselves in a tight spot if the other old one finally died beyond repair. In addition to crafting, I also mow yards on the side, so not having a riding mower would have been a big problem.
I researched online about mowers, etc but also wanted to stay low on the budget. On a whim we looked at mowers at Lowe's during one of our visits and they had some models not usually sold in store that were repaired. I found one I liked (John Deere E140) and called the dealer from the repair statement to see what was done. They reconnected a foot pedal spring... yep. So I was sold... a "beefier" model, with a nice $700 discount! I've been happy with it and have put 10 hours on it since getting it. The only complaint I have is the Turf Tires on the mower are junk, but they're junk anyway. Someday I'll get some Super Lug tires on it for maximum traction.
I Ruined 100+ Roma Tomatoes and Wasted Two Days
I've not spoken of this event until now. In an earlier blog/vlog post I showed us processing our Roma tomatoes from our garden to make into sauce. What I didn't show is that I ended up burning the sauce in the final hour and we had to dump the entire pot. It was a big bummer and annoyance to say the least. There... I've confessed what I did. Let's move on and not think of this further. :-)
Two New Ewes
This was also in my blog earlier, but we bought and picked up two new ewe lambs to add to our flock. We now have a total of six sheep; 4 wethers (fixed males), 2 ewes. Our plans are to breed the ewes when they're of age (a year or two from now) and grow our flock and maybe sell. Our sheep are mainly Romney but cross bred for their fiber (wool). My wife spins the wool into yarn and then makes things, but we're probably going to start selling the wool or fiber, too. To increase our income and because it's more wool than we use in a year!
I Was Reminded Why I Love Not Working a "Real Job"
This is only one tiny facet of why I love not being at a "real job" any longer. I found myself on the wrong side of the "big city" right around commute time. Oh how I don't miss this madness and stress!
Father In Law's Birthday
We made the above shirt for my father in law for is birthday. I saw someone wearing one like it a few months back while at another craft fair and said that I wanted to make him one too. We have a Cricut Explore vinyl cutting machine, so it was pretty easy. Like the shirt? I can make you one too (shameless plug) for a few bucks (or steem). I can do the full shirt or just the iron on, or a decal -- just me know! :)
My Oldest Son's Birthday
My oldest son turned 6. It's said so much, and until you have kids of your own it's a cliche, but it's amazing how fast he's growing! For his birthday we took him Gem Mining for his (and my) first time. We all had a blast! I want to do a separate post on that, so will save details on the trip and more over the reason behind it for later. The above photo was the "keepers" from the 4 gal. bucket we bought. There are many quartz, smoky quartz, amethyst, garnet, and a handful of rubies in there among other things.
Built a Chicken Coop
There are 7 separate blog posts on the construction of the above coop. To summarize we wanted chickens again, but not free-range birds like we last had. I didn't like stepping out my door and into chicken turds. I know, I'm weird like that. This meant the new coop would be stationary (we've done the chicken tractor thing a lot), but have to be close to the house. So we built it on an otherwise unused hill between the house and my workshop. Check out my blog our YouTube channel for all the details of building it.
That's It!
Well that pretty much sums up the notable Homestead Happenings for August, 2018. I look forward to reading and responding to your comments below!
Until next time,
