What are your goals for spring? We have several things we would like to do. Inside the house, I am re-doiing my entire recipe collection. I bought a huge binder and am going to move all of the recipes I use to it. I am weeding out some and adding new ones. This is a good job for the evenings.

Cale is working on each room, doing little odds and ends. He wants to build a new book-shelf and an entertainment center out of old barn siding. I am thinking it will have doors, so the TV will be hidden when not in use. I also want to finish up all of my spring cleaning. The kids are off school for 6 days of Spring Break, so I want to work on their rooms while they are home to help.

Outside we have a few major projects. We want to put shingles on our house. We just have rolled roofing now. That will be a big job, as it needs about 46 squares of shingles. Also we want to pour concrete under our picnic shelter, and pour a concrete pad for a Basketball court. Another big project is to build raised beds in our garden. We also need to finish getting our firewood cut. We have some waiting to be split and the shed is still about 1/2 full. So over the next few weeks that will be a priority.

What projects do you have underway for Spring?

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), March 21, 2002

Answers

to get the snow to melt, and alittle heat,, just above freezing is fine

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), March 21, 2002.

Re-do a diningroom floor which is situated where we must walk on it to get everywhere else! Also, paint some walls and re-do the maple sales area. Actually, a whole new house would be nice.

Also, we need to put up a new chicken house. We're "making do" until we can really do that right.

And, finish pruning the apple trees. Time's running out on that one!

-- Rosalie (Dee) in IN (someone@heavenbound.com), March 21, 2002.

Yesterday, we picked up a couple gallons of paint to try out the color on the exterior of our house. Right now the house is a rose color. A little too pink for a family of mostly boys. lol. We're looking for a drastic change, with a cream color trimmed in taupe.

Since it's still snowing every few days, that and the other outside things will wait a little longer. Our priorities now are getting back in the schoolwork routine(following all those hospital days), and organizing and tidying up inside the house again.

-- mary (mlg@mlg.com), March 21, 2002.

I'm with Mary as far as tidying up goes! I really need to organize this place, chuck out a lot of things we don't use, and get the carpets cleaned. Also need to do some inside painting, but want to wait until a day when I can open the windows! Have to finish working in the basement, clean the garage...the list is endless! We're tearing down a 36 x 60 foot monitor style barn, also, to use the lumber for a tractor barn, new goat barns, greenhouse, etc. Sheesh! Don't think we will be relaxing much this year! Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), March 21, 2002.

Our Spring goals - well - that would be to continue working on our Winter goals. hahahah We got a little sidetracked for a few weeks.

We've been building more raised beds and expanding our big veggie garden. We finished the permanent "deer-proof" perimeter fencing around the garden, incorporating the chicken pasture & coops, with a gate between so the chickens can be let into small areas of the garden occasionally.

My Sweet Hubby is still building more critter hutches.

Next up is the permanent pad for my outside crafts workshop and canning kitchen (yayayayyaya) and moving my gardening shed to its permanent pad as well (double yayayayay)!!!!

When the shed is moved we'll have clear sailing to finish-grade the back "yard", build the herb beds, and install sod (finally, real grass under my feet instead of sand).

That should take us up to SUMMER when we'll be harvesting our garden bounty, canning, drying, freezing, sweating our (can't say that) off, and Praising our Lord for His Mercy and Goodness to our homestead.

Happy Spring!

-- Michaela (flhomestead@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002.

Besides the regular garden and yard stuff, I have decided to have a huge garage sale. Well, it didn't start out huge. I have started room by room going through and getting rid of anything I don't use or need. I have completely filled the shed. It is amazing how much junk I can accumulate and not even know it!! We also have to start on the new chicken coop and hog pen.I could list every thing but no one has time to read it all. I get one thing checked off and add 3 more!God BLess

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), March 21, 2002.

Whew...where to start?

Cut some trees from our proposed roadway, Put up deer fence, broadfork a garden for planting some corn, maters, cukes and peppers, build a couple of out-houses for composting toilets, make a pump for the hand dug well. Plant some fruit trees and nurture some old apple trees.

Oh yeah, buy a 12 volt winch, and get the motor home unstuck.

-- Rick in SW West Virginia (Rick_122@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002.

A chicken house, more raised beds, walkway for the front yard to the driveway, fence, replacing shingles with metal roof, and a big garage sale also. Whew, and spring will be gone before we know it!!!

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), March 21, 2002.

Our Spring goals have already started. We just moved back to our home in Alabama after two years in an apt. in Ga. (Hubby's job had transfered him) We have laid 18" square tiles in the living room dining room, kitchen and hallway. We have painted the living room and dining room and I am busy stripping wall paper in the hallway and foyer. Still have boxes to be unpacked all over the place. Daughter is coming to stay for a week to help things get put away. Been busy getting together my seeds for the garden and raised beds in. Hubby will be out of town next week and I am hoping house will be in shape when he gets home. Pray for us that strength holds up to get all this done. Side note--do not rent your house out if you are not near enough to keep an eye on it. Bless you all.

-- Nancy in Alabama (georgiaattitude@aol.com), March 21, 2002.

Nancy, I know just what you're talking about! Been there, done that, soaked my t-shirt with tears, lost several thousand $$ in the process.

And just after we had the place back to some semblance of normal, we ended up selling it in a high-stress situation.

The up-side was that we ended up right where we had both always wanted to be, on our little homestead in the pines.

So Our Lord moves in mysterious ways, His Will for our lives to be played out. There's a Blessing in this for you somewhere, and when you find it I hope you'll post it so we can Rejoice with you.

Lifting you up in Prayer to the Source of our Strength.

-- Michaela (flhomestead@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.