2 Years

***Disclaimer***

This turned out much longer than I intended.  

It's been just over two years since we moved out of town and attempted to build a little farm.  Much has happened in this relatively short time.  We've had Daddy come and go several times, leaving us to figure some things out on our own.  We've added animals to the mix and worked a bit on our house.  We've added a little bit to the outbuilding we started with, a huge shed.  We now have chicken coops and a turkey pen, a place for rabbits and more fencing.  I have a few raised garden beds and we planted several trees, none of which took.  There have been vehicle changes, with more to come.  (Momma will need a vehicle and Kyleigh will be getting her license soon.)  We've had friends, family, visitors, house guests and "squatters" a few guys who've lived with us while in transition.  LOL, squatters, Classic!

We gave homeschooling a try, ultimately choosing public schools again.  This was the best choice for us but I still miss the homeschooling from time to time.  We have been Blessed with wonderful teachers, a dedicated principal/superintendent and an awesome elementary principal, not to mention the most wonderful staff.  We have made wonderful friends and have been mostly accepted by "the locals".  Ha!  We've had new experiences, like brandings, and become a part of this community.  We feel the pride of our little towns and it is wonderful to have that sense of family/community, which we have longed for.  Being a part of the military is it's own group, which we will always remain, but living here has been so much more than we could have hoped.  We have been through some tough times with this new family, the losses felt throughout the entire area, and we've had a great time cheering on the home team. Go Horns! Our kids have blossomed.  They've seen so much of the world in cities and suburbs, this "ranch life" has been an awesome new discovery.  They are so much more engaged.  I can't think of any other way to put it.  Kyleigh has really stepped up with the animal care and has matured into a beautiful young lady.  Lucy has opened up and has made so many new friends, some feel like we've known them forever.  Nick is our little, or not so, doer.  Whether it's shoveling snow or running the weedeater this kid knows how to work.

I'm just so grateful to be where I am.  I look forward to many more years and experiences in this little, tiny piece of the Big Sky.  I think I may have to share a few stories from these first years, the blog is only about 8 months old and there were some HI-larious moments, some terrifying, I have yet to share.  Hopefully you'll get as big a kick out of them too.  We ARE the Woodsies.  This IS our life.  You just can't make this stuff up!

How many of you are "living the dream"?  Care to share?  I'm all ears eyes.

In closing, I leave you with a phrase which has become synonymous with the WoodsFam....

"That's NEVER happened, I've just NEVER seen/heard _____________.  (Fill in the blank as you wish, it's probably been uttered.)

Oh, and let's not forget "That's a first."  And NO, these are not spoken as compliments.  They are always stated with shock, awe, confusion and/or disbelief.  Maybe I'll share some of those moments in the near future.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

~Ash

Welcome to Summer Life

This week we are preparing for the invasion...Grannie's Coming!!!  LOL  There's quite a bit to do for prep so it's nice to have the kids out of school to help.  Wait, the girls are having friend time away from the house...they will have a busy couple days with the last minute rush.

So far, I've managed to get the carpet somewhat cleaned.  Let me tell ya, a steam cleaner that won't spray is a bit of a pain.  I've been mixing up a cleaner in a bottle and having to spray the carpet, wait, add water and then suck it all up.  Not the quickest method but at least it sucks...hahaha.  The living room is slowly clearing out from all the end of the school year crap and it's finally starting to smell better with the windows open daily.  My bedroom is just about there, some dusting and clean sheets ought to do it.  Then I will be changing the sheets on Nick's bed so I have clean sheets.  Yes, my room is the guest room.  Or maybe I'll just move out to the camper...hmmmm.  That doesn't sound so bad, the bed is super comfy, I can keep the wine chilled AND use the bathroom...SCORE!

So, there's my first week of summer in a nutshell.  Looking forward to time with family and friends and whatever entertains the household while Daddy is gone. It's looking to be beautiful weather soon and I'm ready to chill and not play beat the clock.  I look forward to some R&R, long baths and quiet reading time  I hear the water calling out to me and the sun as well.  It's gonna be a good summer, yep.

What are your summer plans?

~Ash

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Good Afternoon Everyone.  Today I'm giving out the tweaked recipe I've come up with for powdered laundry detergent.  I started with a simple recipe I found online.  Honestly, I can't pinpoint which blog or website to link or recognize, there are so many with the same things posted.  Anyhoo, it originated with Borax, Washing Soda and Fels Naptha and, has since, expanded a bit through my imagination.  It's super easy and lasts for quite awhile.  Here goes:

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

2 Cups Grated Fels Naptha

(you could use other laundry bar soaps for this)

1/2 Cup OxiClean

1/2 Cup Kosher Salt

Mix all ingredients together, place in a storage container of your choice and use approximately 2 TBLS per load. I've noticed the OxiClean scoop is just the right size. I have an HE front loader and I have no problems using this, it won't suds up like a regular detergent.  The basic recipe worked fine but since we have super hard water I decided to add the OxiClean and Kosher Salt to help with the whites and light colors, they were getting a little on the dingy side.  A great source of information I've found is here.  There are truly so many more out there!

As for using a fabric softener, I have tried several different things.  I'm not sold on any one in particular so if anyone has a suggestion I would LOVE to hear it!  I do use vinegar for now but I can't seem to combat the static cling...  The website I linked to above has softener suggestions as well.

Anyone else make their own or do their own thing?  Drop me a line and let me know your favored laundry "go to's."  It's kinda odd just how excited I get to try these new DIY recipes around the house...  And I mean EXCITED!  I can't wait to find and share new ideas from the farm...

P.S.  Fels Naptha is awesome as a kitchen DIY liquid soap.  Absolutely NO smells on my hands after cooking, and I use a ton of onions and garlic around here! 

TTFN,

~Ash

Say it With Me Now!

TGIF

YES, It's FRIDAY!!!  Praise the Lord!  It's been a crazy week and I, for one, am ready for a long weekend.  Our time with Daddy is growing shorter much faster than usual.  These extended trips are getting old and I'm ready to not have to go through it ever again.  Of course, I am thankful we've had a little more time together between this one and the last.  It's still a long time to be apart.  Our household always needs a period of adjustment.

That being said, I hope you will forgive the erratic postings for the next few weeks while we transition to a single parent home.  With all of the after school activities (cheer, basketball, wrestling) it may take me a minute or two to get us moving along somewhat smoothly.  I'll be putting A LOT of miles on the truck for the next few months...and so will Kyleigh...  LOL  Loving the early driver's ed and looking forward to not having to drive everywhere myself.  Yay!  Can I get I Woop Woop?!?

So, please forgive me for my altered attention span of .05 seconds, replacing my usual .07 seconds.  I promise I will be back on track eventually to entertain (bore) all of you.  Ha.  I will be working on some projects in the meantime and will share them as soon as I can.

P.S. Does anyone care to provide a doggy daycare?  I swear these boys argue more than my kids!  And the whining...don't EVEN get me started.  Ugh.  LOL

Thanks for reading.

~Ash

Step 1

I focused on foundations yesterday.  Today I am looking at the bricks of this foundation.  Us, the WoodsFam.  In order to succeed in any venture, one must first focus on themselves.  This is not selfish, it is absolutely imperative, it's your "footer."  (Jiminy, can we tell my hubby is a structural engineer?)  A farm depends on it's people.  To be successful in any way, you have to be able to work physically and mentally.  Your home depends on you to keep it running.  The garden can't take care of itself and neither can the animals.  Yeah, the horse grazes and the birds free range but there is a little more to it.  Without the people, the farm dies.  So, we must take care of ourselves and each other.

The goal is to be healthy, productive, happy.  I know I'm loved and I love.  Loving myself is not always so easy.  Visualization is key to improving your outlook on yourself and your life.  We have to see ourselves the way we want to be.  I have battled this for a very long time.  I've always been hard on myself.  I have made a conscious decision today, it ends here.  It's been something in the works for a very long time and I am finally at the point where I can say it out loud.  I will be held accountable for my declaration.  I AM A GOOD PERSON!  LOL  I AM LOVABLE!  I DESERVE ________!  Got it?  It's so freeing.  "I'm good enough.  I'm smart enough.  And doggone it, people like me." ~Stuart Smiley aka. Al Franken

So, I am hoping to take you step by step through our journey here on the farm.  I realize it's a hobby farm blog, it's also a WoodsFam blog...the two go together.  It's for the betterment of all, here on the 'ole homestead.  Healthy, happy people make for healthy, happy animals.  Please, don't go, it will get better...esp. when the weather stabilizes.  Hehe

Thanks for reading and be sure to leave some ideas or examples for our growing home.

~Ash

Tech Tuesday

Helllloooooo Out There...

Today is Tech Tuesday for me.  I've spent the better part of the morning working on this blog business.  I am about cross eyed at this point.  It's a slow progression but if you look closely, you just might see some changes going on.  Then again, maybe not.  Not all changes are on the blog page.  There's quite a bit of admin going on here.  I started out on a whim and I guess it's time to get a little more serious.

I haven't been on here for several days.  I know, boring, but I haven't really had much to share.  We've done more work downstairs but I'm not ready to post any pics yet.  It's just not at the point in which to share.  Laundry and cleaning is only so fun and I'm sure no one cares about mine.  I've made a few things and I'm testing them out to see if any are worth sharing with you all.  I'm hoping to post some new recipes, organizational ideas, renovation progress and maybe even some animal fun.  It's supposed to be a bit on the warmer (above freezing) side of things this week.  Yay!

So here's a a picture describing my life, indefinitely...lol

Have a wonderful week.  I hope to be more entertaining this week.

~Ash

Good Morning Monday

It's Monday, Yay!  I LOVE Mondays!

No sarcasm, I really do have a soft spot for Monday.  It gets a bad wrap.  Too many people look at it as "I have to go back to work" day.  How about we look at it as "I'm thankful for a job" day.  Does that make any sense?  I am grateful for my back to work day.  It gives me a chance to get myself ready for the week and put my house back in order.  Mondays give me a fresh start.  No matter what the previous week held for me, I get to start anew.

In our house, Mondays mean clean sheets on the bed.  It's fresh towels in the bathroom.  It's getting all of the weekend-ness out of the house.  I love weekends.  I just don't always like how things seem to get thrown to the wayside.  I like my home to be dusted, vacuumed...fresh.  Don't get me wrong, it's a household of six right now.  It's most definitely lived in.  I don't have the "magazine ready" house.  I don't really want it.  I have a home where people aren't afraid to come in, sit down, put their feet up and relax.  It makes our weekends so fun.  We enjoy having our friends/family out.

All of that being said, it's time to get off my tookus and get moving.  It doesn't magically happen, contrary to what the children may think.  As a "gift" to you, I am posting a picture in the hopes it brightens your day a bit.  It's one of my favorites.  I sometimes need reminding of why I love it here, esp when it's so darn cold!

A Montana Sunrise

May you have a peaceful Monday.

~Ash

Super Easy Supper

Good Day All.

It's SNOWING!!!  Yay! Maybe not...  It's gonna be a freezing cold weekend here in Montana.  Down in the negatives tonight and single digit/teens for highs.  We'll see just how much snow we get here, looks like we are only in for about 6".  Puts me in the mood for some good comfort foods.  We keep our thermostat set really low (64*F) so I like to take the opportunity to use the oven as often as I can.  So, in keeping with the theme, I have decided to post a quick and easy casserole for my first recipe.  The kiddos and I threw this together one night while the hubby was out of town.  Please excuse the photo quality, or lack thereof.  I just randomly decide to take pictures of meals.  I suppose it's time to learn the art of "beauty" shots.  Know what I mean?  LOL

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 Package of Pasta (we used small shells)

Pizza Sauce (we used leftover spaghetti sauce)

Pepperoni

Ham

Mozzarella Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

* Preheat oven to 350 F

Cook pasta according to package, drain.  While pasta is cooking, prep your “toppings” as you wish.  We cut up pepperoni and used leftover diced ham. Mix sauce, toppings and pasta, even a little mozzarella, and place in baking dish.  Top with mozzarella and then bread crumbs.  Cover with foil and cook until bubbly, about 30 min.  Remove foil and brown the top for a few more minutes.  Serve with garlic bread.

**Any pasta/topping could be used and a side salad would go well too**

I hope this helps someone.  I know I am always looking for new ideas.  It's even better when I can use leftovers and clear out the fridge a little.  No one in this house likes leftovers so it's a good cover.  And who can go wrong with pizza, right?

May you all have a joyous day.  Give out a little extra love today, I bet there's someone near you who could use it.  It's a great day for cuddling too.

Comfort Food and Hugs go great together.

~Ash

Wonderful Wednesday

Good Morning.  Here is a view from our front porch.  I wonder why it's called Big Sky Country?  I used panoramic on this and it's still only a little slice of the sky.

You can't even see the wind!  LOL

So, today I will be trying to figure out a little more of this technology.  I am hoping to get some recipes posted.  There just isn't too much excitement outside with all the cold and wind.  I figure maybe some warm and hearty recipes would be good with this weather.  Here's to Hump Day.  Wish me luck.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

~Ash

A Head Full of Cluttered Ideas...

Wind...yes, more Wind...ugh

Today I have decided to stay inside again.  It's been a pleasant, quiet, relaxing day so far.  I'm so glad I did so much laundry yesterday.  I am using this opportunity to brainstorm a few ideas for the house/hold.  It's like window shopping, I can think all day but I don't spend a dime.  Yay Me!

As I've said before, we've been in this house for a little over 18 mos.  I still haven't painted my living room and bedrooms.  The main bath is updated a bit.  We painted the cabinets black, added trim, flooring and a new faucet.  I painted it the same color as our front bathroom in our "Georgia" house.  Change, yikes.  LOL This summer I painted the back splash of the kitchen a light green.  It's a pretty color but I'm not sold on it.  I was thinking of going retro in the kitchen with tin signs, old adds, brighter colors.  I have since found myself standing on the brakes for that one.  I would love to be able to just have the things I love and have them work together.  I don't think that's gonna happen between European irons, marbles, tapestries, etc. and a yellow chrome table with old Pyrex dishes.  Somewhere out there, someone could make this work.  It's not me.  I love what I have but my eye has twitched a bit in other directions.  With my bedroom furniture, which I LOVE, there is no way to not have it formal.  The kids all have specific ideas for their rooms.  Then there's the downstairs which is not finished yet.  I makes me cringe to think rooms won't flow into one another.  A little OCD? Yes.

So, I guess I will think about some new organizing ideas.  I have several printable items I've made and use for shopping, meal planning and daily reminders.  I would post these for download however, I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet. *I'm doing well to get pictures up.*  I'm racking my brain to come up with an organized plan for Kyleigh's room.  I don't like there to be a bunch of "stuff" out in the kids rooms (or any rooms).  She'll have a long closet so I am hoping to put a desk area in one side with clothes, etc on the other.  I'm really hoping we can make it work.  She has been so much better about keeping her room somewhat clean.  It's hard with our living arrangements right now.  Once her room is done it will be on to Lucy's.  I need to get a plan in place for her colors.  Nick's room will be somewhat easier.  He wants Longhorns.  That is Ft. Benton Longhorns, not Texas.  Eww  hehehe  That means red and white.  Sounds simple enough, he already has a red bed, desk and nightstand.  We are definitely covered with furniture in this house.  I really can't wait to get the basement finished and spread out a little bit.

Well, I suppose I've rambled on long enough here.  I am eager to hear/see any ideas or thoughts you may have.  Have a lovely afternoon.

~Ash

Progress

Yay for us!

Kyleigh's room is coming along. The first coat of paint is up and the lighting is finished and installed (for now).  We still need to paint the ceiling and put in the window framing, which I have painted as well.  It's starting to look like a teenager's/girl's room.  Here are a few shots of the progress.  Can we say P-I-N-K!?!

 Before

After

 My $5 chandelier, originally $99.  

I spent more on the spray paint and light bulbs.

Here's what I managed for under $30.

 Oh Yeah, looks great!  

And even better, the light bulbs give off a good bit of light so we shouldn't need extra lighting in here.

 While we were at it, I asked the hubbs to put the new light fixture in the upstairs hallway. 

 It's been sitting on a shelf for about a year.

This is the (outdoor) light we removed from the hall.

I think it's an upgrade, you?

So, it's moving forward slowly.  I'm getting excited about it instead of the usual dread of going into the basement.  It's like a breath of fresh air.  We still have the dresser to paint for her and, obviously, the finishing up of paint and trim.  I think she'll be excited as well.  It just feels better in there already.  It won't be long before she has her zebra business in there.  Then it's off to the next room, Lucy's.

Hope you all enjoy the pics.  Have a wonderful weekend!

~Ash

A *Sigh* of Relief

Good Morning All.

Today is "catch up" day for this home.  It's been so busy lately I've fallen out of my routines.  I have massive laundry overload, dishes to be done and bathrooms to clean.  It was worth it to spend time with family and friends and now I am ready to GET IT DONE!  I can feel the dust in my house and the dog hair in the carpet/air/etc.  I need an extra shower just thinking of it.  One thing at a time...

We have several projects going on here in the house.  The main being Kyleigh's bedroom.  The walls are ready for paint/trim and I have her chandelier almost completed.  I'll have to post pictures later.  I will also be painting some furniture, hopefully soon, to re purpose.  Again, pics later.  Once Kyleigh's room is finished (for now) we will move on to what will be Lucy's room.  When I say "finished for now" I mean all but flooring and baseboards.        We have decided to wait on that until we can put flooring throughout the entire basement.  We won't be able to do that until the basement is fully "finished" with walls, ceiling, doors, etc.  It sounds bad and maybe it is but this is where we are right now.  Not to mention, I haven't settled on flooring yet.  It's taking quite a bit of time living here to figure out what we should do/fix/change with the house.  The good news, we only need time and money.  Doesn't everyone have an abundance of both?  No? Well, neither do we at the moment which explains the slow transformation of our house to home.  Unfortunately, we aren't able to ask for a raise or decline "business" trips. *~* I am really excited about the end of these trips...3 1/2 more years...Lord, please help me.*~*  I really need the hubbs around for the heavy labor.  Not to mention, I'm more of a decorator/supervisor.  Hehehe  Again, one thing at a time.

So, I guess it's time to get moving.  The clock waits for no one and we (I) have much to do. I wish everyone a wonderful day.

Too-Da-Loo

~Ash

Hump Day

Good afternoon everyone.  It's Hump Day!  Oh how I would love to be at Eskimo Joe's for some Little Joes and beer.  I guess I'll settle for a glass of wine at home.  LOL

An update on my carpet cleaning adventures.  I managed to get through quite a bit of the living room in the past two days.  The detergent seems to be doing a decent job.  I suggest dissolving the detergent in hot water before adding it to the tank.  I've gotten about half way through the living room and had to stop.  It's very irritating when the sprayer isn't working.  I've tried priming the pump, cleaning all seals and taking the darn thing apart to check hoses.  I have no idea so it's gonna have to wait for the Mr. to spend some quality time with it.  In order to finish a few places I just dumped steaming hot water and sucked it up.  Seems to be fine. So, excluding the Bissell's lack of motivation, it has been a good couple days for the carpet.  My house doesn't smell like animals and there aren't any big stains.  I still can't seem to get the Shasta Tiki Punch out but, oh well.

A toast to clean (er) carpets.

Here's to a wonderful downhill slide to the weekend.

~Ash