Keep plucking

So the deal fell apart days before we were supposed to close. Stupid shady bank. So we are on the hunt again. Looking for something cheaper so we can get out of debt. I've been offline more lately. I will update with pictures of our new bantam chicks later this week. 

Yum smores from the oven

So I've been totally wanting smores but we don't have a fire pit. Every time I do a burn in the burn barrel I wish I had a stick to roast some marshmallows LOL.  So tonight thanks to Pinterest I took a small cast iron pan, a little over a cup of chocolate chips, and marshmallows and baked them in the oven at 450 for 7 mins.  OMG it was yummy.  I'm not a fan of semi-sweet chocolate chips so next time I will remember to get milk chocolate but it was yummy.  We used graham crackers as dippers like chips and it was fun.  The kids and hubby really enjoyed the treat.  Over all took about 10 mins and I was the best mom ever :).

Dishcloths

So after finishing two more afghans I decided to whip up a couple dishcloths. I altered the pattern to a different border. The original border was giving me problems. Anyway it turned out very nice. I made two as a set and gave them to a friend. Probably not the best picture but you get the idea. I will try to post blanket pictures tomorrow.

Glitter

Who doesn't love glitter?!  I mean really is there any other way to decorate?  So I've had some pink and white glitter for months with the intention of making a light switch cover for my oldest. I finally finished it. Super easy. Modge podge the cover, cover in glitter, let dry and spray with sealant.  My oldest daughter just loves it.  Thinking about doing the one in her closet as well.  I should modge podge all the light switches with scrapbook paper.  Pinterest is awesome!

Great Grandmother's dough recipe

I made my great grandma's rolls tonight. Considering all the cooking and bread making I'm doing lately this might not seem like a big deal. But it is. I usually only make them at Christmas time since they are so time consuming to make. Although I'm finding as I make them more they aren't so tedious. My great grandma made them all the time. For any get together and probably everyday eating too. She always seemed to have them. They remind me of her. She passed away in December of 2010 at the age of 99. She was a wonderful woman. Whom I loved very much. Everyone loved her rolls. But I'm the only one who knows how to make them.

So some back story. At the young age of 15 I learned lots. I learned to crochet and knit and I took 3 weeks in a little town called Onalaska, WA to learn how to make my grandmother's rolls. It's actually a dough recipe but everyone associate the recipe with her rolls. That was mostly what she made with the dough. But she told me how to do cinnamon rolls, maple bats and the like. Well as I learn more about breads I'm trying new things. So I did some trials with the rolls tonight. I'm making cloverleaf rolls, bread and cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls I have made before.  Usually I make the rolls by putting butter on the rolled out dough and cutting and folding.  Very simple yet yummy way to have some sweet butter rolls.  Anyway, when I attended her funeral in Dec 2010 I was asked if I wanted anything of hers.  I said if possible I would love her recipes.  A month or so later I got a Recipe box full of her recipes that she had collected thru the years.  I don't know if they went thru them before I got them but I'm assuming not.  Since I found notes and all sorts of treasures in there.  I was also asked for my grandmother's recipe.  And it may sound mean but I won't give it up.  I took 3 weeks out of my summer as a teenager to learn that recipe.  None of those people took the time to learn when she was alive.  They didn't see the treasure that they had until she was gone.  And it's sad.  It's probably rather mean of me to keep the secrets to myself but I'm going to teach my children to make them and pass the recipe along through the generations.

Homemade refried beans perfected

I finally did it!  I made the perfect batch of refried beans today from scratch. I'm so proud of myself. Thanks to a co worker who is a paid chef I found a method that worked great.

Things I did different: soaked for 1 hour then drained and put into the crockpot.  Then I put garlic, dried onions and salt into the water. As they cooked I stirred the pot to ensure flavors where mixing. Tested bean softness until I got to the perfect consistency. Then hubby ladled the beans into a pan, added lard and mashed them up. The flavor was great. Not bland like before and texture was awesome too. 

Banana bread

Who doesn't love fresh banana bread?  Well not everyone loves bananas but most people love fresh bread. I'm loving making fresh bread.  Sadly this might be the last of it for a bit.  I think we need to make some diet/nutrition changes for my son so he can focus better in school.  I believe he is getting to much sugar for starters.  Perhaps I will start with just cutting anything with processed sugar.  We cut a lot of that already with home meals but lunch can be difficult.  I will just have to find a solution.

Thursday Morning Thoughts

I'm sick again this week.  No fun but it's what happens when the kids first go back to school.  All those germs LOL.  Anyway so I was here thinking just about everything and about mistakes I am making or have made on this new blog.  But I realized  that right now there isn't much of a following if anyone at all reads so a few learning mistakes will be ok.  I'm also thinking of other content I could put on our farm blog.  It's a slow time of year right now for us since I'm not able to do a fall garden and the chickens aren't doing much.  Ours aren't even molting yet.  Once we start the move I can blog about the new coop being built, moving the chickens, building the farm, the deconstruction of the other house on the property and planned improvements.  But for now it's spirit week and new recipes.  Going to make banana bread this evening plus the school spirit shirts for tomorrow.  Need to start more homemade bread for sandwiches since the last loaf went bad.  We didn't eat many sandwiches this week.  Fed it to the chickens.  My youngest is watching Little Einstein's talking to the TV, and I am writing this blog.  I'm working on another blanket project, I have four going right now but this new one has to be done by the end of October so it gets priority.  Once the shirts get done I will post pictures of them.

Pretty eggs

I thought I would post a farm related post since I haven't done that in awhile.  And seeing the variety of our eggs really cheers me up.  We have quite the colorful collection of layers. We get light brown, brown, white, blue/green, and brown speckled. Oh it's so fun to go collecting. We get 17-18 eggs a day. And no we can't keep up on eating them. We give away a lot of eggs each week to coworkers, church and friends.  It's a wonderful blessing to share with others.

Crazy hair day

Today was crazy hair day at school.  The kids and I had a lot of fun doing their hair this morning.  Of course my oldest came home with her hair down :( but she brought everything back with her.  My son wanted a mohawk but he just had such thick hair it was just super spiky.  Spirit week has been a lot of fun.  This is the first time my kids have gotten to participate but they are getting into the spirit.

And of course the baby couldn't be left out :).  She naturally wakes up with crazy hair.

Spirit week at school

So I'm filling my days being crafty while we wait on the bank. Last night I made the kids shirts for color wars. It was fun and they loved them. My son's class had blue and my daughter's class had green.  I made both shirts for about $15 with supplies left over for more projects. 

Apprasial ordered

So we are finally moving forward with the purchase of the farm.  We ordered and paid for the appraisal on Friday.  So fingers crossed it all comes back good and we don't have to renegotiate a new price due to a low appraisal.  If all goes well we should be moving sometime in October.  Or at least that is my suspicion.  Meanwhile I need to start looking for boxes again and decluttering the house.  Taking a load to the goodwill tomorrow and hope to pick up some free boxes if I can find any on craigslist tonight or in the morning. 

On an animal related note we have decided to hold off for one year before adding any cows or pigs to the farm.  We are going to get our debt out of the way so we can free up the money we need for the livestock trailer and things of that nature.  It should take 12 months if I can keep us on track.  Then it will be gung ho!  So in the meantime you can follow on our chicken, gardening and cooking adventures.  Also my creative adventures :). 

Started a new blanket tonight that is for a wedding gift at the end of October.  I will post pictures once it is finished.  I finished my 2 blankets for nieces in Oregon a few weeks ago.  I will post pictures of my projects tomorrow.  All good things in our life right now.

Fresh homemade bread

Weekly? Why yes I think I should and can. I found a great recipe on Pinterest and have made it three times. Each time getting better. I'm so happy with how it turned out. I'm also enjoying not needing the store as much. Getting to what our goals our. Cooking from scratch, not a box. Cooking at home and not needing the grocery store. Here is the link to the recipe and a picture of my most recent loaf.

hiccups

Buying property or a house isn't what it used to be before 2008.  There are so many more hoops to jump through.  We are teetering on the edge of losing the property which to be honest has me down in the dumps :(.  But we have a plan B which will have us out of debt in 18 months so I guess that will work too.  Right now I am working on Christmas gifts (crochet afghans) and trying not to worry.  September is a busy month with birthdays so hopefully that will help keep me distracted.  Pray that we get an answer one way or the other tomorrow.  I will for sure try to post when I know something.  If we don't move be watching for posts about a fall garden going in and trying to get us going in that direction. 

Things I never thought I would miss

So while I was down with a broken foot, cast and crutches to boot, I wasn't able to do my normal routine and chores. I had to rely heavily on my kids. It was miserable. They had lots of extra inside chores plus helping with daily chicken chores. The kids are slightly afraid of the rooster. He tends to be aggressive. So that complicated things towards the end. But we got thru it. But this week I've been back out there with them. Giving them (the chickens) supervised outside time. Meaning out of the chicken run. They love it!  The scratch and peck and chase grasshoppers. It's wonderful to just watch them. I've gotten used to seeing them and interacting with them. And I missed them while I was down. It's good to know that I love my "chores" so much that I want to do them. I wake up excited to see the chickens each morning. I look forward to our upcoming move where we will add many more animals to our life. We have the new coop all planned out. Just waiting on a closing date. Once the papers are signed we are building the coop. Don't worry I will update when we have a date. Because I know there's oh so many people reading my blog. Thinking purple for the coop color. But we shall see. 

Gifts

I love making afghans. Have I mentioned that?  It's one of those hobbies that keeps the family warm in winter. This year all the nieces and nephews are getting blankets for Christmas. Shhhh don't tell :). But I made one for my mother in law and am finally mailing it off. Thankfully her birthday is next week so it works out. Here is a picture. I even added a tag that says handmade with love. 

Homemade kind of day

Started with pancakes not from a box and French toast. Then made fries from potatoes and started the Freezer Hashbrowns. Those are easier than I thought. Then I was out of ketchup so I whipped up some of that while I was at the stove lol.  I didn't have any tomato paste so I used tomato sauce and just reduced it down.  The ketchup is in the fridge now.  I tasted a bit and it seemed good.  Maybe more vinegar than we are used to but I will keep trying.  That is the whole point of this. Then it was time to start the crockpot Mac and Cheese. Gosh I'm tired just reading all of that :). Took out ground beef. Going to make hamburgers this weeks and tacos and if there is any left over maybe chili. We love ground beef. Hence the need for beef cows. Links to all the recipes are provided. I managed to do all this while the toddler slept. I am for sure on a roll. Need to learn how to be independent of the store. It will be even better when it comes from our garden as well. 

House update, closing is being delayed due to paperwork and there still isn't any date set.  But on a good note the sellers have agreed to delay the closing so that is good too.  It means we won't lose the property because of the slow paperwork.  But I seriously wish it would move along because I'm excited about the property.

Hand spinning

So I purchased a drop spindle and two lengths of fiber along with the Respect the Spindle book.  I'm very excited to start learning a new craft.  I figure if I can get good before we get our sheep I will be able to make blankets from my own hand spun yarn.  I mean what a wonderful gift I could give to family.  And perhaps sell some too :).  I also started looking into growing cotton today.  Hubby didn't know if it would grow in Texas... Well Texas is actually the biggest grower of cotton.  And it comes in different colors!  Oh man how exciting.  I really feel that everything I grow should be exciting and fun and have a purpose.  Even if that seems silly to others its my main philosophy behind our farming adventure.  Not sure where I will put my cotton field but since cotton doesn't like wet feet (wet ground) then I won't have to worry about irrigation the same as I do for the rest of the garden.  So it can be out further from the house.  I also plane to harvest it by hand.  Must remember to wear gloves.  We won't grow enough to warrant the big picker machines.  It also means I have to pick the seeds out by hand.  But the more we do by hand the better for us and cheaper.  Plus I don't need all those fancy machines to do this.  Just some good old hard work.  So yeah keep reading and watching because the next year should bring lots of exciting things and probably some heartache too.  I'm sure things will fail and things will succeed.  But that is the joys of starting this adventure.  Not everything we try will succeed the first time.  But we will get better with each planting and every year that we keep at it.  My research suggests we may never make enough money that hubby can quit his job and be a full time farmer but maybe we can come close.  And our retirement years will for sure be full of farming.

Delays

So we won't be closing in a week.  I'm very sad but I have to believe there is a reason for the delay.  God has a plan.  Silly paperwork slowed everything down.  Hubby thinks it will only slow us down by a week.  I'm thinking two weeks.  I guess we will see.  Either way it gives us more time to save money and pack.  So it's ok.  I'm working in Houston again this weekend which isn't a lot of fun but good for the bank account.

Something else that happened this week was along with the survey we found that the our fence is shared.  So we are going to need to make friends with the neighbors and make sure we are all ok with how we use/share the fence.  Not that we shouldn't make friends with the neighbors anyway.  When you live further out in the country it's a good idea to make friends and watch out for each other.  It makes sense for everyone to help each other out and build that community.  We don't have any super close neighbors at the new property like we currently do so I'm sure the fence won't be a big problem.  There is a gate between us and the neighbor so we will either have two locks or put a fence on our side. 

The delay also allows me to do more research and find new stuff to plant and animals to purchase ;).  And who doesn't want that.  This post is kind of all over the road.  I guess I'm a little tired.

Baking

Do you bake?  I love food.  I love cooking and baking and sometimes I just get in this mood where I gotta bake something.  Come on over anytime :).  But tonight it was cookies.  I really wanted to make hubby some chocolate chip cookies but the stinker ate all the chocolate chips.  So I did the next best thing and made him chocolate cookies with vanilla chips.  Being 100 degrees outside didn't stop me.   And it also made me realize I shouldn't let it stop me from making fresh bread each week instead of buying it.  I could save so much money.  And I love to bake.  So after the loaves I have are gone I'm going to start just making my own.  Part of my mission to homestead as well is cooking from scratch.  No more artificial anything if I can help it.  Home made and from scratch is going to be the motto around this farm.  Yep my daily list gets longer each day.  And some days I will fail.  Some days I will be like super woman.  But each day will be an adventure.  With only 10 days until closing it's starting to feel more real. 

Survey complete

The survey for the new property is completed.  We are purchasing 39.74 acres, but I'm going to go ahead and round up to 40 LOL.  It also means were are continuing to move forward which is a good sign.  It appears that the fence lines along the road are for sure ours but the fences that have pastures on either side might be the neighbors.  We will have to chat it up with them and find out.  Hopefully it will be a friendly sharing kind of neighbor so we don't have to add more fencing.  Ah the joys of farm/country living.  Lessons to be learned.  But many times in these communities people share.  We have the appraisal to be completed (just waiting on the bank to order it) and two other documents.  So tonight I decided it was time to start putting together boxes and packing up stuff.  Guess I shouldn't put it off any longer.  We could be moving anytime in the next few weeks.  Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.

Roosters

We actually have two roosters until we move.  But this is the rooster that will move with us.  He is rather aggressive and very protective of his flock.  With good reason.  That is his job.  Do you need a rooster?  There is a lot of debate about this on many forums and blogs.  Good arguments on both sides.  We like having a rooster.  Keeps our hens happy.  We have the chance to hatch chicks since our bantam seems to be broody and he is gorgeous.  Our rooster is an Americana.  We got 4 chicks with our first flock because they lay blue green eggs.  It's very exciting.  Then one turned out to be a rooster and it was even better.  He has the most beautiful tail feather.  So he will move to the new house with us.  This picture was taken while doing supervised outside time last night.  I have started doing this since others seem to have great luck with supervised time.  The chickens love it and the barn cats seem to just leave them alone.  It's a win for everyone.  If you look close enough you can see the rooster's wings are clipped, he likes to fly :).

Pretty Eggs

We get a variety of eggs each day. This picture doesn't even do it justice. We get white, brown, blue/green, speckled and duck eggs everyday. I packaged up 8 dozen eggs this morning. That's just from this week. And we've been giving some to family. So many eggs. I really need to start selling them. I also was excited about my new egg cartons. Aren't they pretty?  I'm also thinking about putting our farm name on them somehow.  Perhaps making a tag that I can just attach to the carton or other goods we sell from the farm. 

Never a dull moment

Farming is not for the weak that is for sure.  We aren't even on our own property yet and it's never dull around here LOL.  So about 8 weeks ago I broke my foot.  Not the most fun thing this summer.  So the kids have been helping me with chicken chores.  Letting them out, putting them away, filling water, stuff like that.  Hubby cleans the coop each weekend for me.  Well being on crutches I can't get to the coop very well.  So I asked the kids to check the feed and make sure the chickens had food.  I should have checked myself :(.  They were completely out tonight.  So I needed to make a last minute run (remember that whole going to town is a drive post?) to the tractor supply for chicken feed.  I also was taking the car to show someone interested in buying.  So it worked out and wasn't a complete waste of gas.  But wow that stunk.  The chickens were so happy when we got home and filled the feeder.  Well actually the BIL filled it for me and filled the water inside the coop. 

On a not farm related note, I also got melted chocolate in my clean purse and found that the van has a flat tire.  Never a dull moment around here :).

Grocery shopping

Probably seems like a silly topic. Everyone needs food and most people go to the local grocery store. However when the closest grocery store is 25-30 miles you have more to consider. Forgot something? It's an hour plus round trip. You probably won't just run in everyday. Unless you have lots of money for gas. So when you need to go to town you plan accordingly. At first it's hard but you get used to it. You plan dr visits in multiple and plan to get groceries the same day. Saves a trip. You make sure you've checked the fridge and pantry so your good at least a week sometimes two depending on plans and cash flow.  We live in Texas so along with planning our trips we also have these handy freezer/fridge bags to keep cold things cold.  Otherwise when you get stuck in construction and that 30 min drive turns into 45 your milk goes bad :).  We also got school supplies today.  After this weekend it will all be fairly picked over so better to go now.  We love living this far away from the city, just means we have to change how we do things.  And someone helped me out when we moved out here with the planning ahead, so I'm passing this information along.  There are many things to consider when you move to the country.  Not just the daily commute.  But if your dream is to escape the rush of the city for the quiet of the country, this is just something to get used to, not something to deter you.

Everyone needs a chicken



Loving her bantam hen "Eskimo"

Don't you agree that everyone should have a chicken?  They provide eggs and sometimes meat  and the provide smiles when you hug them :). They eat bugs and clean up your garden at the end of the season. For the amount of money invested chickens have a high rate of return. Let's explore that. You buy a chicken coop. Let's assume you don't live in the country. So you but a small prefab coop for 2-4 chickens (like our first). Cost $250-$300. Most expensive part in my opinion. Then you go to the feed store and purchase 4 chicken pullets (baby chicks). Cost $3 each so a total of $12. Bag of chick starter feed. Cost $9 for a 5lb bag depending on brand. Heat lamp depending on outside temps about $20 with bulb. So now your ready. In about 23 weeks you will start getting fresh eggs everyday for breakfast. And they will be the best eggs you ever tasted. While your waiting for the eggs the chickens are eating bugs, cleaning up the yard and providing entertainment in the evenings. I love watching mine peck the ground. Most other homestead animals have a much higher start cost due to shelter needs, feed costs and cost of the animal itself. A good example is in our area a kid (baby goat) will run anywhere from $75 to $150 or more depending on breed, genetics etc. And you usually need to buy two or more so they aren't alone.

So the lesson for today?  Chickens are a great, inexpensive way to start homesteading and eating healthy. Can't keep chickens?  Find a local farm to get eggs from. You won't be disappointed. 

Fiber, yarn, sheep

So we are looking to get sheep.  Partly because the hubby likes lamb to eat.  And partly because I love to crochet.  And lets be honest an afghan is not cheap to make.  On average a full size afghan runs about $60 to make.  And that is just for the yarn.  It doesn't include the hours spent working on it.  Which I don't mind doing the work.  But I would love to save some money on my wonderful hobby.  And what better way to do that than to make my own yarn.  You can get fiber from many animals such as llama, alpaca, goats, and sheep.  We are looking to get some Shetland sheep sometime next summer.  They are one of the few breads that we can Roo instead of shear.  Unfamiliar with the term... yes I was too.  So let me explain.  Rooing is when you "pull" the wool/fiber from the sheep when it is already coming off.  Not all animals do this though.  The other reason we are choosing the Shetland is that the meat is supposed to be the best tasting.  And who doesn't want to eat the best :).  Today at Barnes & Noble I was looking for a book about caring for sheep.  I didn't have any luck but the nice lady who was helping me found this wonderful book on fiber and spinning.  It has so much information I can't wait to read it cover to cover.  The  goal is to eventually make/purchase a drop spindle and spin my own yarn.  The book even covers how to dye fiber.  I can also make washcloths, hats and scarfs.  Maybe someday I will be good enough to sell my wares.  Until then it will just be a fun hobby :).  Top picture is a hat I made for my youngest while pregnant and the bottom picture is a current blanket I am working on.  Fun projects both of them.

4H

My oldest will be joining 4H in a couple weeks.  She is very excited.  She will be showing a bunny.  A breeding bunny :) so she will get to keep it after the county fair in January.  We are excited about this opportunity for her.  We have heard so many great things about kids in 4H.  There is a pool party next Tuesday that I will take the kids to and see how she likes the other kids and the leaders.  They will help her learn to show and she will get to make some new friends to boot.  There isn't a club at her school so we will just join one in the town North of us.  Luckily at this early age she can just go and have fun without it being a huge deal.  As she gets older we will probably pick an animal and keep with it.  But for now she can show a bunny and enjoy the learning experience.  I have also learned that we can use the ag exemption for her 4H project stuff.  Which will help save us some money.  The next year is going to be a lot of fun.

Farm name

So I will probably change the name of the blog to reflect the name of the farm.  We will register all of our animal herds and get our brand registered in our counties.  It's kind of exciting really :).  I texted the hubby and told him what I was thinking and that it wasn't really fitting.  It didn't really work.  So he started throwing out ideas.  And it got the thinking started.  Then I thought what about 5 Blessings Farm??  Hubby loved it, I loved it and bam a farm name was born :).  So far it doesn't seem to be used in our counties.  Hope to design a brand 5B.  We can also tag the animals that can be branded it looks like.  I'm still learning so more to come on that.  There isn't a statewide registry so I just have to worry about our county.

I also started the process to sign my oldest up for 4H.  Sounds like we will be doing breeding bunnies since she won't want to part with her first show bunny LOL.  We can register her in two weeks.  She is so excited and they are so helpful at the 4H office.  It will also help with the ag exemption.

Chicken from our flock

So hubby cooked our first chicken tonight.  We had to kill one of our Rhode Island Reds because she was an egg eater and killed a baby chick we were trying to hatch out.  So yesterday was killing day.  I don't have any pictures of that but it was apparently a family affair.  I'm out of town due to work.  So hubby sent me a picture of the cooked bird.  Red looks yummy :).  Good job honey.

Water!

Water is one of the most important things you need.  Regardless of where you live you need water to live.  One of the biggest things my homesteading friends talk about or ask about is if there is water on the property.  Our prospective property we knew had a stock pond, although no water at the current time.  But after many delays we finally got the well working.  The breakers had been stolen :(.  So the seller had an electrician come out and fix it.  The end result... Running water!  Very good news.  Septic is empty, also good news.  Electrical company will come out and drop a second pole and meter for our house after we close and move the house out there.  There is already one water trough hooked up to the well with a float so that is good for us when we are getting ready to put bigger animals on the property.  Woohoo for water!!

Lessons when buying

Buying rural property is different than buying in the suburbs.  A lot different :).  Not a bad different just different.  You have different things to consider.  And your dreams/goals should be one of those many things that you think about.

We first had to think about how much property we wanted.  Well hubby wanted hundreds of acres... that wasn't going to happen but we settled on 10-20 acres when we started looking.  So off we went to the internet to search.  What options were already on the property, what isn't on the property, how much is the property, what does that equal per acre?  You get the idea.
Hubby wanted trees, I wanted room for the animals, we both wanted water and power.  I wanted a good space for my garden and orchard.  Hubby wanted room to grow.

So I found 19 acres with a well that "might" work, power, a trailer that needed to be disposed of, no fencing, no trees, lots of great open space with plenty of options for buildings and a home site.  But when you want to move it seems like a great option. 
Across the road there was another sign.  This one had 26 acres, with two barns (both needing work), a small house, needing to be cleaned out and renovated, two sheds, and a stone building.  Three sides were fenced.  Power and a septic were on the property but no well...  Why was there no well? 
Both pastures looked good, and the price was the range I was looking for.  Downside was a feed lot right next door.
Hubby found a property.  It had 39.7 acres, an unfinished house, fully fenced, well, septic, and power already on the property.  From the pictures it didn't appear to have many trees and was outside the school district that we are already in.  But the hubby wanted to go look.  So we went out and looked.  The pastures are recovering nicely, still fully fenced, more trees than we expected and a 2 acre stock pond.  The price was higher than I wanted to pay, however it was a great price for the amount of property.  Great views. 

Around here a working well is a huge plus.  Wells can cost well over 10K to have dug.  Septic systems are about 9K.  Having the whole 40 acres fenced is another huge plus.  The cost of fencing is much more than people realize.  We fenced 1/4 of an acre with 4x4 panels for the goats and it cost $500 (which included the fencing and tposts).  The property has 5 strand barbed wire all the way around.  We also knew that when we found the right place we would know.  This was our homestead/retirement property.  As soon as we went out and looked we knew it was where we wanted to be. 
The unfinished house has great potential to be finished.  As long as the foundation is good we are going to fix it up.  There are no other buildings, so everything can be done just the way we have always dreamed.  Part of the agreement was to ensure the well was still working, so power was turned on.  We also included that a manufactured home had to be allowed on the property.  A 2 acre stock pond can cost thousands to build but we already have one and we can use it for shooting practice.  Sure we have to do a lot of building and it won't be a fast process.  But since it's completely fenced we could potentially put cows on the property within a year.  It fits with our dreams and goals.
If you can't tell we made an offer on the 40 acres and should close by August 22 :). 

The journey thus far

So a year ago in July we packed up our house and moved to Texas from Washington.  It's been a journey for sure.  Lots of lessons learned and lots to learn.  Today the hubby suggested I document all we have learned and then document what we learn as we journey to a self sufficient homesteading lifestyle.  So while I'm not great at keep up on this stuff, I'm going to try my best.  Things I hope to post is the start and improvements to the new property, new recipes, new animals, and just anything that helps us move to a self sufficient lifestyle.  I know there are plenty of blog and sites out there that do this.  I'm not planning a following this is just so we can look at where we started and where we are. 
Events of the last year....
July 2013 moved into rental house in TX.
Dec 2013 moved onto family land in our own manufactured home.
August 2014 moving to our own land 40 acres.  Same general area but our own place.

This has been a crazy year.  We have learned a lot.  We will be moving our 11 chickens to our new property.  I will of course be posting pictures of the new coop and run.  Next week I hope to post some pictures of the new property so that we can see how it changes over the years ahead.