Good-Bye 2012....Welcome in 2013

The year 2012 came and went in the blink of an eye. We had lots of ups and downs as usual in life, but overall it was a good year. So we are starting out our new year with several milestones. Nathan has become a teenager on the 19th of January, is quickly advancing through his ranks in Boy Scouts and is well on his way to growing into a young man.Noah has finally learned to ride a two wheeler and is so very proud and excited about it. He has also, after quite a bit of struggle, become a more proficient, and confident reader and is even beginning to enjoy it.   Jacob is finally beginning to show an interest in reading and is moving into true Kindergarten status. Evelyn is growing up way too fast; pushing through the family ranks to become the big helper in the family and a "little momma".
There is also, of course, the announcement of our a new little Zerangue bundle. Benjamin Joseph Zerangue arrived on January 24th 2013. Everything went well, actually better than expected an he is doing wonderfully; has been lovingly welcomed into the family and blessed us all richly. His quiet, peaceful nature has been such a lovely gift for our whole family.


Other  happenings on our home-front;  last fall we rebuilt the chicken coop and are working on expanding it to accommodate more layers and also more meat birds. While I was recovering from the c-section surgery, Matt decided to thin out some of the new roosters so that we could put them in the freezer. The first attempt went really well and I look forward to learning also with the next try. Although progress can seem slow, we are making small strides toward a more sustainable life. Our chickens are starting to see the warm weather approaching and have begun laying eggs again.

Now that Spring is quickly approaching, we are also looking at our yard and trying to decide how to proceed with our gardens for the year. We are discussing raised beds for ease of harvest, and also to make it easier to make sure that our soil can be better used for a more abundant harvest. I would also like to start evaluating our property in order to start creating a property based on permaculture practices.

As much as I want to start our new year of soap making, that has had to be put on a back burner until we figure out a more efficient way of running our day to day lives. We are looking forward to a great new year with this too.

Happy Spring everyone!
What are you doing in anticipation of spring?