So…Now What?

From Halloween to Christmas we are in a whirlwind of activity.

There’s food, family and friends.

There’s shopping, cooking, eating.

There’s planning, writing silly stories about elves and–did I mention eating?

We spend quality time with family and friends and we make resolutions for the upcoming year. Habits we will break, books we will read, changes we will make and skills we will acquire.

We are kept so busy by all of the holiday hubbub that when the sun sets on January 1st, we feel a little lost…at least I do.

What do I do now? Now that Christmas is over and I’m determined to start this year off with a bang? I used to make a million resolutions. All the cliches were on my list.

I’ll start eating right and exercising.

I’ll spend less time on the computer.

I’ll follow a cleaning calendar…ha!

Normally, these resolutions run out of steam after a month…maybe two.

This year, I’ve listed our homestead goals, but I’ve also doused them with reality. I know that I will not complete some of them and I’m ok with that.

This year, I’ve made a few, general resolutions so I won’t feel overwhelmed when I look at my list.

Yes eating right and a cleaning calendar are on my list again, but I’ve removed the pressure and given myself permission to fail…one candybar does not mean I have to wait until 2018 to start all over again.

This year, I’ve asked for help and support from my family, my friends…myself.

Goal #1 – Grow my Blog
My husband is going to help me with this one. He’s going to push me and remind me to share, look for ways to reach more people and provide more quality content via YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Goal #2 – Follow a Loose Daily Schedule
I have one for cleaning, I have one for school and I have one for blogging. I’m going to try to follow them. I’m going to believe that I will follow them. I’m going to know that it’s ok if I don’t follow them exactly.

Goal #3 – The Garden
Even though I’ve listed this as the 3rd goal, as in previous years, it is the biggie.

So many lessons we’ve learned and so many new and exciting methods to try, plants to sow, trees to grow and processes to implement.

It. Is. Overwhelming.

Overwhelming, but exciting. My seed catalogs have already started to arrive. I’ve started pre-planning in my head and jotting ideas down in my gardening notebook.

I need to map out the kitchen garden. The squash arch will be moved closer to the deck and the garlic will be planted between rows.

I need to research how to make peppers and cucumbers grow in our soil and order seeds. I will not go overboard this year!

We need to make sure the trees get fertilized and pruned.

We need to continue watching the videos on plant propagation and transplanting so we can implement the methods at the right time.

And the chickens!

We need to butcher a few more to make room for new ladies and fill our freezer.

We are going to try hatching our own chicks this year. It will be a great project and learning experience for the boys (and us). But, since Pecky is a blue cochin and the ladies are pearl white leghorns, we will likely not get great egg producers.

We’ll need to research and order new chicks. I’m not sure we will go with the leghorns again. They are aggressive, peck at hands and they’ve all been really mean to poor Pecky.

Who knew that such cute little chicklets would become such mean little hens.

So, now what? Now, we plan, we plant, we learn and we grow.

Now what do we do?
Since the holidays are through?
We plan and we grow