Replace the Grocery Store Challenge

Thanks to some added inspiration from Our Simple Farm (http://www.oursimplefarm.com/2013/05/replacing-grocery-store-challenge-link.html), we have decided to revisit the idea of having our own blog site. Here at TNT Homestead, we also currently have a facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/TNT-Homestead/344578172266824?fref=ts) Please feel free to check it out and follow us on our journey of obtaining a more self sustaining life style.

A little bit about ourselves: My husband and I have been married for 2 years and are currently foster parents in Central Ohio. In our home we have 4 foster children (one boy and 3 girls), 1 adopted son, 2 bio sons that live with us on the weekends (my step children, my husbands bio children), 3 dogs, 3 cats, 7 goats, and 8 ducks. Quiet time comes few and far between in our house.

Due to the confidential nature of being foster parents. There will be no pictures posted on this site of the 4 foster children currently living in our house.Which absolutely KILLS me, but hey.... rules are rules!

This year, we are taking on our most ambitious goal yet, Our simple farm's "replace the grocery store challenge'. We will be trying our hardest to grow (plant wise) all of the food that our whopping family of 9 can consume in 1 years time. 

We've had a slow start getting our garden started this year, mainly because the quality of our soil in our new house has turned out to be less than ideal. But we are finally on our way and time is ticking! This is going to be a busy week here at TNT.

Feel free to check out my favorite blog "Our Simple Life" and read about the replace to grocery store challenge for yourself
http://www.oursimplefarm.com/2013/02/replacing-grocery-store-challenge-intro.html#.UYQkNSITn58

If you know anyone that might be interested in taking the challenge themselves, there is also a facebook group that you can join for support and advice from like-minded people. It's a great group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/grocerychallenge/

Our slow but current progress on our "Replace the Grocery Store Challenge":
- five- 60 ft rows of Kennebec Potatoes
- five- 60 ft rows Red Potatoes
- three- 60ft rows of onions
- two- 4x10 raised beds of June Baring Strawberries
- one- 4x4 raised asparagus bed
- ten- blueberry bushes

- one honey crisp apple, one granny smith apple, one golden russet apple (for cider)
- one seckel pear, one Keifer pear
- one red haven peach, one flamming furry peach
- one montmorency sour cherry

I have purchased MANY more fruit trees this season but until they are healthy enough to be planted in the ground. I'm not going to count them yet for the challenge.

Strawberry and asparagus beds planted: Check!

Now if we could only get the remainder of the garden tilled.








Today's project? Deer proof fencing so that we can start transferring everything outside. No more frosts predicted! It's about darn time =)

countdown to thanksgiving: I guess I have to catch up

countdown to thanksgiving: I guess I have to catch up
1) I'm thankful for my husband. He is my best friend and I hope I never have to live a single day without him
2) I'm thankful for my mother. She is AMAZING and I miss her terribly
3) I'm thankful for my two amazing step children who are busy teaching me how to be a kid again.
4) I'm thankful for all my family here in Ohio. With out you guys, the Holidays would seem a whole heck of allot lonelier.
5) I'm thankful for my extended family (my in-laws). I couldn't have asked for a better 2nd family.
6) I'm thankful for my job. If I have to work to earn money, I'm thankful to be able to do it in a place that is filled with people that I enjoy being around.
7) I'm thankful for my friends back in California. I have some of the best friends that a girl could ever ask for and whether or not I see them enough, they are still my rock.
8) I'm thankful for everyone new that I have met in Ohio. Thank you for making me feel welcome.
9) I'm thankful for my new house and for all of the new skills that it is teaching me.
10) I am thankful for my dogs.... No matter how irritating they may be at times.
11) I'm thankful for my brother. Because no matter what, he's still my brother.
12) I'm thankful for Larry for taking such good care of my mother
13) I'm thankful for the foster kids that will soon be in our home
14) I'm thankful that everyone I love, that is still alive, is healthy and doing well
15) I'm thankful for my life as a whole...... I have a pretty good one

To be continued

Finally got the internet set up in our new house

Here is an update of the progress we are making on the house... only 11 more work days until our foster care inspection.

Matt's dad came to visit us for 10 days and helped out tremendously. We have everything moved out of the old house and are now officially into the new house. The heater doesn't work yet but we are 98% positive we may have fixed the problem without buying a new furnace. Cross your fingers for us. We try it out tomorrow. Good thing it hasn't been too cold.

ok here's our current progress.

Master bedroom

This is an old picture but we finished the flooring

 Definitely far from complete but we started moving everything in

Living room

                                              Started the flooring today

Start of fence

(To be continued...)

Maintence

Plumber is at the house now trying to find and fix the leak in our plumbing. Also, just found out our furnace is a complete loss. He said it would cost more to fix it than it would to buy a new LP furnace. which is going to cost us anywhere from 2000 to 2400. Cant say I'm surprised. We were kind of expecting it.

Finally started the new flooring

Both Matt and I are very excited to report that we finally started putting in the new flooring. The house is finally starting to look like a house rather than a construction zone. Which is really nice. Especially with all the work we have been putting into it. Moving in a couple of days. Its crunch time.

Here's a picture of the progress that we made today. Tomorrow, at the very least, the master bedroom should have a completed floor and all the trim work back up.

Matt also started putting up the fence posts for the new privacy fence in the back yard. 6 fence posts down, 14 to go.

Lastly, tomorrow someone is coming out to take a look at our heating system and the plumbing. Yay! The house will be livable in a matter of days

House update

The master bedroom and Living room are now prepped and ready for flooring. Walls are spackled and primed and I am picking up flooring at Home Depot tomorrow on the way to work. Today we got the majority of the first coat put on the walls in the boys room and are planning on having that completed by tomorrow so that we can start on the flooring in their room as soon as the living room and master bedroom are completed.

Also, Matt has started tearing down the walls in the 3rd bedroom. (The second kids room/ foster kids room). I have the cutest pictures and videos of Jax helping him tare the drywall down. Ive never met a 5 year old in my life that was more motivated to help with construction than he proved to be. I was absolutely amazed. I thought for sure both kids would want to sit and play video games all day. But he is definitely following in his fathers footsteps.

Matt and I are hoping to move into the house in the next couple of days. I cant wait. Its amazing how quickly you fall in love with a place after putting so much work into it. Even if it is just a future rental property, Matt and I are really enjoying being home owners.We love seeing the progress we are making on the house and are really excited about the idea of being more financially independent in the not so far off future.

Pictures coming soon. We will keep you posted on future progress.

The new house

Well Kelly and I have been over at the new house daily getting it fixed up.  So far we have the master bedroom almost done with with the final coat of paint being put on tomorrow.  A first coat has been put on the downstairs and more cutting in needs to be done.  By this weekend I hope to have a fence put up in the back yard and we can officially start moving, including moving the animals over to their new homes. We are right on schedule to be out of this rental by the 1st of November.  Stay tuned for more updates and some pictures and videos once I can get them off our phones.