The Great Switchup

ok y'all.
I'm back. I know I'm been a major slacker keeping y'all updated on things, but I'm going to do better for 2014.

In my defense, there's only enough time in the day to get dressed, get the kids fed, change their dirty clothes 4-6 times, feed the husband, wash the laundry feed the animals, clean the house, workout, do crafts, homeschool, tend the garden, etc.

Let me run you through a quick update on the KP homestead.

I made soap. It turned out...well, soap. I'll try again soon.

The garden was sad. I had tomatoes growing in november. Yes! November. But the early freeze killed them along with my ginormous basil plant bush.

I have 3 broccoli, a patch of greens and 2 cabbages still growing pretty decent. The turnips are fantastic. I've picked a mess yesterday for the neighbor and a mess tonight for us. The turnips are the size of baseballs, some even bigger!

The rabbits...Papa could get Mama pregnant. And now Mama is grumpy and growls and everyone and Papa can't romance her. BUT...Jett got the job done with Dinner, so Dinner should be having some bunnies around January 15th. Papa escaped a few days ago, and Scott was out playing with his BB gun. He couldn't believe his luck that a big plump rabbit was just sitting there in our yard...and then he remembered it was mine the mini me on his shoulder reminded him I'd shoot him with the BB gun if he killed my rabbit.

We are now the owners of a miniature jack russell, Sasha. Yes, our dogs are Sasha and Greta. I'm not really sure why we don't rename them with American names. We could give them hipster names like Lola and Millie. 

The hubs is probably the best person in the world at what he does. Ok, I exaggerate a bit. A lot. I can't tell you about it, really, though, because it's some top secret stuffs.

We're working on our garden plots right now for a Back to Eden Garden. It's going well. We'll have a full sun garden, a partial sun/shade garden and an herb/berry garden.

Maddy is wild. She can speak English now. She's potty trained. She loves princesses and riding her fourwheeler.

Lillee is wilder. She can walk. She can speak almost English words. She can sing and do the motions to itsy bitsy spider. She can also ride Maddy's fourwheeler, all by herself. She can eat. And eat. And eat. She also loves princesses!

I've learned to sew. I'll be working on more sewing projects in 2014.

And last but not least, my new year's resolution. It's actually a large list, and I'm calling it the Great Switchup of 2014. I'm making a commitment to switching our entire life to either more natural/organic options or more environmentally friendly options. So far I've made and started using cloth napkins to save money and landfill space on paper towels. I've switched to baking soda shampoo and ACV conditioner. I made my own toothpaste and whitening gel. And we're eating about 75% gluten free right now. Also, I'm on day 5 on Insanity, so I'll be do that for 55 more days.

Some of my other projects I'll be working on and sharing about this year:

• unpaper towels like these
• DIY essential oils
• homemade soaps
• all natural make up including blush, mascara, bronzer and lip tints/balms
• altering all of the girls old clothes so that they can continue to wear the ones they've outgrown
• raising and butchering rabbits (and hopefully anything Scott is able to kill throughout the year)
• My gardens. I'm going all out. Planting everything I can possibly get in the ground. Hopefully this whole Back to Eden mulch thing pans out
• making castille soap and all the cleaning/hygiene products it can be used for
• beeswax candles
• lots of sewing and crocheting including projects like making myself a dress, reusable swiffer socks, boot cuffs, dish cloths and sponges, a quilting project, camo curtains at the Hubby's request etc, etc.

Check back soon for pictures. I'll do my best to post at least one good blog each week full of pictures and witty comments. 

What are your projects/resolutions for 2014?