I've been MIA overall, though I usually lurk here if I even have the chance to peek at all... 
We're renovating a trailer that will be our guest house and studio once our house is built, which won't begin until next year since we're expecting baby #5 this summer.
This last week we pulled out a wall and replaced it with a hand-built floor-to-ceiling bookcase, and we have two more walls to do that way. We also framed in 20' of wall with our front door rough-in and a picture window. It's leaning against the non-wall that is keeping the winter out of our living room and kitchen right now; we ran out of wood and had to wait for a paycheck to buy more.
Our house, next year, will be handbuilt with indigenous materials (stone, wood, cob- sand, clay and reed or if we have to, straw, etc...).
For now, tomorrow we will be buying the cottage board for the exterior, putting the wall up, and hand-building a door, then hanging it. That means our front door can stop being in our bedroom...
We've been here since December and it was too cold to do anything until this month, and next we will build a chicken coop for 80 chickens, gut the bathroom, rebuild it, and replace floors from the subfloors up in four rooms. Then it's bedrooms and when it warms up, truss roof and ceiling removal, and walls that are left will be removed or just de-skinned and re-faced with wood.
The exterior is last and will be sided with rough-cut pinewood planks.
We're turning our trailer into a wood cabin, essentially, and I'm in a bit of a hurry now because my belly is just at the point where it will begin to be in the way of my arms and my ability to carry heavy objects or use heavy tools.
We have the wood acclimating in the house now for a 4'x6' dining table and benches that we have to build next week sometime- possibly the week afterward.
This all takes about four times longer with it just being dp and me because we still have all the usual chores and child-tending that would happen on any other day. I also have to keep the kitchen going with traditional foods and have a May deadline for a body of artwork to be juried.
Dp works on-call and auxilliary for groups homes as a youth services worker and he just called to tell me that they require him to be there tomorrow from 4-6pm.
They are an hour from our home. Grrrrrr.... That little trip is big for us and ruins the whole day's plans.
I can't wait for him to take parental leave.
It's more exhausting describing all of this than just doing it, so I think I should stop...
We're acquiring two mouser cats in the next few weeks; we live in the wilderness on a farm and right now, while the floors are old and there are little holes all over the building, they come in quite often, usually in groups. It'll be nice to have some mousers around to keep our kitchen safe.
Our chicken order is happening soon- 20 layers and 60 meat birds. YAY! We eat a dozen eggs a day, so having those ready for us at the cost of feed and maintenance will be huge savings for us. We're paying $5/dozen now at the farm we live on (owned and shared by our friends) which is much better than the organic dozens at the store in town that go for $7. Our dozen will cost us approximately $1.35 in the winter and under a quarter during the spring and summer.
There's so much going on here right now (not unlike anyone else on this thread, I'm sure!); the reason I can post is that dp is at work, and I am taking a break from the regular work of the day.
How do you arrange sleeping quarters? We're planning on having a large dormitory for just sleeping and then other rooms for playing/studying/working/etc... So there would be only beds in the dormitory with a pocket for each bed of things that each child likes having near him at bed- a book or two, a stuffed toy, a flashlight, etc..., but nothing more so that there cannot be messes of toys and pencils and other things in there. The study/library, play/recreation room and studio would all satisfy the need for sprawling things around for enjoyment and use.
Does anyone else do this? Are you happy with it?
We've found that given our dc's sleep difficulties, a room that has as little potential distractions as possible is best for sleep for them, so that is also a major consideration for us.
Does anyone here homestead?
We're renovating a trailer that will be our guest house and studio once our house is built, which won't begin until next year since we're expecting baby #5 this summer.
This last week we pulled out a wall and replaced it with a hand-built floor-to-ceiling bookcase, and we have two more walls to do that way. We also framed in 20' of wall with our front door rough-in and a picture window. It's leaning against the non-wall that is keeping the winter out of our living room and kitchen right now; we ran out of wood and had to wait for a paycheck to buy more.
Our house, next year, will be handbuilt with indigenous materials (stone, wood, cob- sand, clay and reed or if we have to, straw, etc...).
For now, tomorrow we will be buying the cottage board for the exterior, putting the wall up, and hand-building a door, then hanging it. That means our front door can stop being in our bedroom...
We've been here since December and it was too cold to do anything until this month, and next we will build a chicken coop for 80 chickens, gut the bathroom, rebuild it, and replace floors from the subfloors up in four rooms. Then it's bedrooms and when it warms up, truss roof and ceiling removal, and walls that are left will be removed or just de-skinned and re-faced with wood.
The exterior is last and will be sided with rough-cut pinewood planks.
We're turning our trailer into a wood cabin, essentially, and I'm in a bit of a hurry now because my belly is just at the point where it will begin to be in the way of my arms and my ability to carry heavy objects or use heavy tools.
We have the wood acclimating in the house now for a 4'x6' dining table and benches that we have to build next week sometime- possibly the week afterward.
This all takes about four times longer with it just being dp and me because we still have all the usual chores and child-tending that would happen on any other day. I also have to keep the kitchen going with traditional foods and have a May deadline for a body of artwork to be juried.
Dp works on-call and auxilliary for groups homes as a youth services worker and he just called to tell me that they require him to be there tomorrow from 4-6pm.
They are an hour from our home. Grrrrrr.... That little trip is big for us and ruins the whole day's plans.I can't wait for him to take parental leave.
It's more exhausting describing all of this than just doing it, so I think I should stop...
We're acquiring two mouser cats in the next few weeks; we live in the wilderness on a farm and right now, while the floors are old and there are little holes all over the building, they come in quite often, usually in groups. It'll be nice to have some mousers around to keep our kitchen safe.
Our chicken order is happening soon- 20 layers and 60 meat birds. YAY! We eat a dozen eggs a day, so having those ready for us at the cost of feed and maintenance will be huge savings for us. We're paying $5/dozen now at the farm we live on (owned and shared by our friends) which is much better than the organic dozens at the store in town that go for $7. Our dozen will cost us approximately $1.35 in the winter and under a quarter during the spring and summer.
There's so much going on here right now (not unlike anyone else on this thread, I'm sure!); the reason I can post is that dp is at work, and I am taking a break from the regular work of the day.
How do you arrange sleeping quarters? We're planning on having a large dormitory for just sleeping and then other rooms for playing/studying/working/etc... So there would be only beds in the dormitory with a pocket for each bed of things that each child likes having near him at bed- a book or two, a stuffed toy, a flashlight, etc..., but nothing more so that there cannot be messes of toys and pencils and other things in there. The study/library, play/recreation room and studio would all satisfy the need for sprawling things around for enjoyment and use.
Does anyone else do this? Are you happy with it?
We've found that given our dc's sleep difficulties, a room that has as little potential distractions as possible is best for sleep for them, so that is also a major consideration for us.
Does anyone here homestead?
umm yeah,right. It isn't hurting as badly, so we are doing good.
and 
and 
! We're planning a heat-lamp brooder, although that will depend on the temperature when they arrive; I'm hoping that we won't have to keep them in the house, but if necessary, then that's what we'll do. But we'll also be introducing our mousers, so it may be a bit crowded in here. Our friends may let us use a corner of their barn since they have so many more bodies in there, and manure, for heat.
. Lol, I don't exactly match them, but they are coordinated. My Step mother in law thinks it is horrid to do that, but the kids like it so I'm good. It is only for pictures and church anyhow. I really want to do matching dresses for all three girls for Easter, but the 9 year spread between dd1 and dd2 makes it kinda awkward.
