The Rustic Quail

05/11/2024

I’m going to go out on a limb here and speak for all the moms. We don’t need gifts, we need HELP.
Life is so hard. Life is too busy.
While sitting on the couch on the verge of tears, I get a text… a text from a mom friend. She says “how are you doing?” My response “I’m doing ok. How are you?”. Her response “I’m doing alright. Most days just keeping my head above water…”. Both of our stories completely the same, burned out, overwhelmed, feeling at the end of our ropes physically and emotionally.
I feel I can speak for all moms with complete confidence because even if you’re not there now you have been there, and if you haven’t been there, you will get there… trust me.
Being a mom is the hardest job there is, and that is just the truth. As hard as it is though, it is equally exciting, rewarding, and fun.
I have done a lot of things and worked a lot of different jobs in my life but being a mom is by far my favourite. That doesn’t mean that I don’t get overwhelmed, exhausted, and totally burned out. It is just part of the job.

So All that being said… with Mother’s Day coming up, consider helping the “moms” in your life.
Dads, husbands, friends… wash the dishes, fold the laundry, vacuum the floors, clean her bathroom… the list is literally endless. We really don’t need gifts, we’re not just saying that. It’s not a trap, we just want a little help.

12/10/2023

Hey friends, we are looking for a house/dog sitter for our two dogs over the holidays. Can anyone help us out?

04/05/2023

Will never stop chasing that 😍

02/27/2023

Eggs are art all on their own. That pink egg is new and it’s also speckled so obviously it’s my favourite!😍

02/26/2023

11/17/2022

It is a feeling of accomplishment knowing I was able to provide even a little nourishment for my family. Knowing that I took the time to give them something better than “store bought”. It’s not a lot but it still feels so good!
Also peep those shelves my beautiful sister built me!😍

09/23/2022

No picture can ever do these beauties justice. They are almost too pretty to eat!
🌈

09/01/2022

Every year I hear “is it too early to decorate for Christmas”, but I’m over here asking “if it’s too early to decorate for fall”!
I’ve never grown all these Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds before so it’s pretty exciting for me!!
I always spend way too much on Fall decor but this year I won’t need to spend a dime. Wait that’s not true… I’ll need Mums!😂

08/31/2022

HUGE animal lover. Always have been. Growing up we weren’t allowed many pets so as soon as I could you better believe I tried as many as I could. I’ve had everything from dogs right down to a lizard.
I gotta be honest, I now understand why we weren’t allowed many pets.
Animals are a ton of work, but some are most definitely worth it.
I have some what matured enough since then to finally see my limits. I recently had to downsize my fowl. It was not easy but it did relieve a lot of pressure.

Even though I’m an animal lover. I’ve never been a huge cat person. To me they seem like a useless pet unless you have a farm. Well now that we live on a farm that means we also have rodents. Growing up my grandparents always had barn cats, for that simple reason. One cat in particular was a Calico. She was the sweetest cat and an incredible hunter.
So, I’ve been on the look out for a Calico kitten for months. I almost settled a few times for other colours but my gut told me to wait, and man am I glad I did.
We are all in love with this little sweetie.

Now I just hope she will actually make it outside to do her job!🤦‍♀️😂

Send us your name ideas!! She is currently nameless and some of the names that are being thrown around by my children are questionable.

08/16/2022

I just love my little Bantams! Their personalities are the best and they are just so stunning! Thanks for these great little chickens!

06/13/2022

You don’t need property or land to grow your own food and you certainly don’t need any training or experience.
I’ve been gardening for 10 years now and every year I make new mistakes and sometimes I make the same old ones.
Self sustainability starts small. Do you have a sunny spot? Do you have flower pots? Perfect! Buy some dirt and a pack of seeds and plant something!
Lettuce grows excellent in pots and it doesn’t mind the shade either!
For all the other things you can’t produce on your own, I guarantee there is a farmer near you that can fill in the gaps!

This baby plant is a Chickpea! I have never planted them before but makes it too easy to try new things!

Happy growing friends!

“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:10‬ ‭

06/07/2022

These days have been crazy. For the whole month of May my sister and her husband and their two amazing children were visiting. It was such a great time and I loved having them nearby. When my sister got married she moved a whole province away. For a family as close as ours, it’s been hard especially now that she has kids.

So why am I saying all this? Well because I didn’t get my garden planted, I didn’t do any baking, I didn’t hardly do any laundry, and the list goes on and on. Something I have been trying is to put people over “things”, it isn’t easy when there are a million “things” to do, but I have found more blessing in it than a complete checklist.

Now that our visiting days have slowed down I finally did some baking and even though it was the least import thing on my list, I enjoyed it and so did my family!

Whenever I have sourdough discard that I need to use up I chose any recipe! I have yet to find one that isn’t easy nor delicious!
This is the Sourdough Discard Banana Bread with some added white chocolate chips. It was so moist and tasty!

Happy Homesteading friends! This is a busy time of year, don’t let yourselves get too worn out!Make time for the people you love and take time to do some of your favourite things even if they aren’t on the list!

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;”
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭3:8‬

05/09/2022

Of all the things I do in a day, my most favourite is being a mom.
It is anything but easy and most days I don’t know what I am doing. I mostly feel like a failure but at the end of it all, I love my kids and can only pray that one day they will look back on their lives and be happy.

Thankful for these blessings and wouldn’t trade them for all the chickens in the world!☺️

Happy Mother’s Day to all those hard working Mommas out there!!❤️

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:28‬ ‭

05/04/2022

These three babies were all born within a day of one another! So much new life around here I don’t know what to do with it all!🤦‍♀️

How cute are they though!!!😍😍

05/01/2022

I don’t know how to do it all as perfect as I’ve imagined it but I do know how to do my best.
My life is not “Instagram pretty”, it’s more like “real life crazy”. Truth is, I am slowly becoming more and more ok with that. I’m learning how to enjoy moments with people, and not busyness with things.
I’m shifting my focus a whole lot.
What hit me really hard this week is the verse in James, “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a v***r that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

I have no idea what tomorrow will hold and so I need to live today, in the moment, with the people I love and care about. At the end of the day nothing else matters, things are just v***rs vanishing away.

Enjoy the life God has given you, and the people he has put there and just stop stressing about all the other stuff!

‭

05/01/2022

*Sees cute egg baskets on Instagram, buys a couple, still carries eggs in shirt to house*

04/07/2022

Spring has sprung and so has my enthusiasm for being outside!
It’s no secret that this past winter was tough on us but God has been so good and for that we thank Him!

Our yard is taking shape and so is my ginormous veggie garden!😳 Food prices may have me over doing it this year but hey, that’s how life is sometimes.
I’m praying for a bountiful harvest!
My soil is my main concern right now so any tips are much appreciated!!

Also, I want to give a huge shout out to all my girls who work hard to give me this amazing

Happy Spring everyone!🌷❤️





“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:2‬ ‭

04/03/2022

I have been hatching for the last 6 years. When I first started I bought a relatively cheap Incubator. The best hatch rate I ever had was 60%. I always felt discouraged and frustrated after every single hatch. I remember asking on a page if a more expensive incubator would produce higher hatch rates. The responses I got were mainly, “the incubator doesn’t matter”.
The last hatch I did in that cheap incubator was so terrible that my friend said “I think you need to invest in a better incubator”. She is a professional when it comes to hatching so of course I took her advice.
I ordered my first ever ! It was hard to make the financial commitment at first but I’ve always dreamed of owning one so I just went for it.

Here I am two days post hatch and I couldn’t be happier with the results! Out of 41 eggs set, 40 hatched!

14 of those eggs were my new bantams. I bought a dozen off of and she threw in two extra just incase. All 14 eggs hatched out beautiful healthy chicks.

I’m just so happy! If you have been on the fence about a Incubator then I’m here to tell you, just do it. You will not be disappointed.

Duck eggs going in tonight as my faith has been restored!

Also, if you’re looking for beautiful Bantams and want to support a small farm and are great! Two young girls just starting out and are excellent to work with.

03/28/2022

Me and the boys love our birds, but my little girl is terrified of them.
When I found and her sweet bunnies, I knew I needed to get one for her.
I wasn’t sure if I was making the right choice, as I feel very strongly about every animal having a purpose on the farm. Breeding rabbits was not something I wanted to do, and raising them for meat wasn’t something I felt strong enough for.
When we picked up Ash we instantly fell in love. She become part of the family and we enjoyed everything about her.
She absolutely loved being pet! She didn’t love being held, or walked on a leash, and surprisingly enough she didn’t love being dressed in doll clothes.
When she suddenly got sick, we tried everything we could but she just wouldn’t get better. The night she passed, my heart broke. I felt almost silly for shedding so many tears for a rabbit but the truth is, a bond was formed and it hurt to lose her. It hurt even more to have to watch my little girl have to say bye.

When you make the plunge into homesteading, one of the things you never consider is how many times you will have to say bye. How many times you will have to experience loss. I couldn’t count the amount of tears I’ve shed since I started this journey, but all of them are worth it. The blessings are just too great!

I was so worried about a rabbit having no purpose on our farm but it turns out she did! Her purpose was being a little girls best friend, and that brought a smile to my face.

Goodbye Ash. We wish we got to love you for longer but so glad for the time we had.

“A righteous man regards the life of his animal...”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭

03/20/2022

Just a Roo and his ladies enjoying some treats, on what turned out to be a gorgeous day! I mean look at those clouds.
We got so much yard work done I can’t even believe it!
Very happy to be ending the day with aching muscles… totally worth it!

03/18/2022

Anyone feeling like a “Lucky Duck” today?
Not me, it’s been “one of those days”.

Truth is, I’m not superstitious, I’m not even a little stitious- a loose paraphrase from the beloved Michael Scott.
I don’t believe in luck. I do however believe in grace and miracles and I’ve found myself in dire need of some these days.
If I’ve learned anything recently it’s that everyone is going through some sort of pain. Life is hard and there is always something new we have to work hard to get through.
We all need little miracles and a whole lot of grace every day.

Hoping and praying for you all!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from this pretty ducky!

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬

03/17/2022

I tried a filter and it dulled their beauty.

03/07/2022

I’ve always dreamt of having a greenhouse and finally I do!

Feeling hopeful and optimistic for a great gardening year.

03/05/2022

Remembering this incredibly difficult time tonight.
Tomorrow we plan to get some clean up done, as we finally have some nice weather.
It’s so hard to get motivated but with spring around the corner we have to buckle down.

It’s so hard not to focus on all the loss but we were so fortunate. It could have been so much worse. We could have lost everything and we didn’t.

Wishing everyone a great and productive Saturday!💚

03/04/2022

1 week on the outside.

03/02/2022

A want to give a huge shout out to my new “Farm Friend” Kara . I wouldn’t have these cute little guys if it wasn’t for her! I am so grateful for her help, and to think we only met a month ago… on here to boot!

Social media isn’t all bad. It has given me some opportunities that I would never have had before.

Also can I just say, never underestimate the power of a relationship with a fellow “farmher”! We got each others backs!💪🏻

02/26/2022

Thankful to my amazing husband for allowing me to sneak away from the homestead for the weekend, so I can meet my new nephew!

Apparently even he enjoys exercising his creativity with egg photos. I mean how can you not when they are just so pretty?

02/23/2022

Hatching eggs!!

DM for your order!

02/17/2022

Quail are laying in full swing!

DM for your hatching eggs🤎

02/04/2022

Is going over board on seeds a real thing? Not pictured is all the seeds I saved of my own.
Can it just be spring already?!