Blog Archives

Updates and Chicken Video!

2/25/2019

I am ready for Spring! Although I like winter, by February I am ready for it to be over. One thing that I can't stand is being cooped up inside all the time. I am a outdoor person! I'm ready to plant a garden and get started on some other projects.

Here are some updates around the Homestead.

Our chickens are now back in the swing of egg laying! When winter starts, they always slow down. But now they are starting to get back to laying eggs. We usually sell 3 or 4 dozen a week, but when winter hits, that doesn't happen. Selling the eggs pays for the feed. We usually get 10 or so eggs a day when they are laying eggs normally. Yesterday we got 11 eggs and today we got 8 so they are almost back to normal.

We are also getting ready to hatch some more chicks in a couple months. We started incubating chicks last year for the first time and it was fun. The kiddo's loved it! Once the chicks hatch, it is about 20 weeks until they will lay their first eggs.
Meat chickens are on the horizon! We will probably order our first batch in May. Looking forward to that. We absolutely love raising them. We raise them with help from our good friends. We usually split a batch and then all get together for butchering day.
We are hoping to finally put in a large garden this year. This will take the investment of a tractor. We have been waiting until our van was paid off to make the investment in a used tractor. It is something that we really need at the Homestead. We have a couple garden tractors, but we need a full size tractor. We are praying for the Lord to provide something that we can afford.
I will be building a new bridge over the creek this spring. My old bridge finally got washed away. It held up good for 4 years, but it was only a matter of time before it needed replaced. I am going to build a nice secure bridge that can withstand the beating it will take with the weather and creek overflows. Our creek can get roaring during rain storms or when the snow melts off.
Janel is battling like a trooper through this pregnancy! This has been a rough one for her. Please continue to pray for her. I am blessed to have her by my side in this life. Although this has been rough for her, we are still very excited about the baby! God is so good and we praise Him!
Finally, we are still mulling over personal decisions that we may be making in the future. There is a lot to weigh out and we would appreciate all of your prayers. We are trusting in the leading of our Father in Heaven. We believe strongly in the power of prayer and we are so thankful that we can come before the Throne of God!

Thanks for checking in and watch the video update below on the chickens! God bless! -Steve

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Fun Times! (A Cook Family Homestead Blog)

2/16/2019

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What a busy, but FUN time we've had as a family over the past few months. We homeschool our kids, but most of them are still involved with many other activities. Two of my girls play basketball on Saturdays (practice during the week) and today was the last day of the league they play in. It was a full day with two games and then we all went out to Applebees for dinner!

My son is a freshman and plays for a school that let's homeschoolers play on the team. He is actually a starter on varsity and is having a good year. He is the second leading scorer on the team and led the team in scoring last game. He's a very good player! His season is coming to a close as well.

Our soon to be 16 year old daughter Hannah is working on her second book! She is such a talented writer. Her first book got accepted to be published and we are working on getting it completed within a few months. I will post a link once it is published. She is so excited as are we. God has given her an incredible gift of writing.

With all of the hustle and bustle of youth groups, sleep overs, homeschooling, co-ops and games, I wouldn't have it any other way! God has blessed us with such a beautiful family and we are excited for our new baby coming in August! The Bible says in Psalm 127:3-5 (KJV):

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

We have truly been blessed! Although we are very excited about our new little baby coming in August, Janel is really struggling with sickness with this pregnancy. But I think that comes with being in your 40's and being pregnant. Most of our other pregnancy's have been very smooth. Not much sickness and quick labors. This one is taking a toll on Janel. Please pray for her! She is such a great wife and mother.

We are looking forward to Spring and Summer. I love being outside and doing stuff or just sitting on the back deck and listening to the peepers or fires and outdoor movies. We are usually the hosts most weekends to lots of kids and other families. It is a true blessing to be surrounded by so many good family and friends who love the Lord! It makes life fun!

Speaking of outdoor movies....we usually host outdoor movies at least twice a month in the summer. I have a 10 foot screen and projector and we have a great time. And we just purchased a large popcorn machine! It arrived last week and we actually made a quick video breaking it in....you can check it out below. We are looking forward to putting it to use this summer for movie nights! If you're in the area, come join us! Always family friendly.

Thanks for checking in. We appreciate all of you who comment or send messages through our social media pages. It is such an encouragement to hear from you all. God bless! -Steve