April 2014...I hope yesterday was winter's last hurrah!

Yep, it snowed, not a lot, but it was coming down in little pebbles first and then big, fluffy flakes. Didn't stick, but it sure was cold! We had a major frost warning last night, glad most of my plants are still in the greenhouse. The few in the raised beds I got covered up before I left for work, they seemed to do okay overnight. I also remembered to cover my mint & strawberries when I got home from work about 8:30 last night. I uncovered everything this morning after the sun was shining nicely. It was still a bit nippy, but I think everything is okay. Everything in the greenhouse was fine, but a little dried out. Some of my tomatoes really need to go into bigger pots.

We've put ourselves on a very strict budget this month and next, no extras and just the basics for groceries. It's hard to plan meals for someone else to make when I'm at work, especially when they don't MAKE what you've planned. We're also eating mostly out of our food storage to be able to really stick to that budget. We are trying to save a LOT of money for the closing costs on the loan we were finally approved for! THAT was super exciting news! The downside is the vast amount of money that is required for closing costs. UGH! Hence the strict budget. The kids were told NO extras...I don't know if they really understand that, but we shall see.

So no money being spent on the house, everything is going into savings right now, so we can cover those closing costs. I really hate to take out a loan to finish building it, but we have pretty much run into "no choice". We've all about had it with living in the cabin...close, confined space, climbing ladders, trying to coordinate using the oven with keeping it cool. We don't want to put in the window A/C units yet...it's only been in the 70s for highs, but it feels warmer than that when you're running the oven. We're trying to use the grill a lot more, but the downside of that is the wind. Spring winds really aren't helpful when grilling. I look forward to when we have our house finished and we can begin working on the pavilion (nothing fancy, just a covered area when we can put the grill, do some summer canning, and put our patio furniture out of the sun.

Farmers Market starts next Friday. I plan to be there every other Friday with my starts and my herbs. I sure hope my products sell really well, as that will add into our budget...plus I hope it looks good on paper. Maybe someday it will be a legit business and not just a side hobby. :)

Speaking of hobbies...the chickens are laying like crazy right now! The ducks, too, but one of them has a nest and I'm trying not to mess with it. If she doesn't start setting on those eggs soon, though, I may let a chicken hatch them out. Shannon will groan at the thought of ducklings...they're messy little creatures, but soooo adorable!

Here's a sampling of about how many eggs we're getting in a week. I need to list them on my area deal-sharing site...there's no way we can eat all of these. LOL!

I'm going to have to get them washed & packaged. Hopefully they will sell quickly. My fridge doesn't have a whole lot of room in it, either. That is another item I am really looking forward to when the house is finished...a bigger fridge. We found one that is like an upright freezer, full shelves top to bottom. The temp can be set for either a freezer or a refrigerator. We plan to use it as a fridge. No more wasted space for a small, inefficient freezer on top of the fridge (or the bottom, if you have that kind). We have a small chest freezer that will work for those items we need close at hand, like the kids' frozen burritos, pancakes & waffles. I wish I were energetic enough to make those all myself ahead of time and freeze them, but I haven't hit that point yet. I do know it can save a lot of money, and of course from scratch recipes have much better quality ingredients! Maybe when my temp job is over I will have the pleasure of filling my freezer with homemade items again. We plan on a second freezer to stay out here in the cabin to stock with more "bulk" type purchases, like beef & chicken. Someday we hope to buy a calf of our own. Here's a pic or two of the fridge we're planning for the new house:

Another item on my wish list is a wall oven. As much as I'd like dual wall ovens, I think we can only afford one. Of course the hunting for that is at a stand-still until the loan is finalized, but we have found LOTS of items for our house on craigslist locally. One was a gas cooktop that inserts into the counter. We have always wanted a gas cooktop and an electric oven. Best of both worlds if you can find them separately...an all-in-one is THOUSANDS. UGH!

Well, I'd best be going. Lots to do today. My one day off until this coming Saturday. UGH! Two days off next week. Yay!