Happy New Year! It is amazing how quickly the years fly by. I am very thankful for so many wonderful things that happened in 2025. There are always ups and downs in our lives and we can trust God with the whys. Let’s look back on 2025 on the farm.

January– there was a lot of baking in our house this year yet again. I was able to get a grain mill and have gone to exclusively home milled grains. I haven’t added sourdough back into the mix since spring, but hope to soon. Am I the only one who likes jam on one side of the bread and either butter or peanut butter on the other side?

February– seed orders! What an abundance of lovely seed packets from Berlin Seed Co. I continue to learn as I go with gardening and sort of stream-line my veggies and techniques.

March– took us to my brother’s farm several hours south of us. He raised 3 pigs this year and we bought some delicious pork from him!

April– do you enjoy line drying your laundry? Having freshly dried bedding is one of my favorite things. That smell… Maybe make it a goal to put up a clothes line in 2026.

May– we began our seeds indoors much earlier, but here they are growing and thriving. We harden them off out in the weather. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers here.

June– many delights! We visited Daniel Boone National Forest as a family and saw this amazing waterfall (2nd largest in the US!). It was hard not to just stand and watch it. I was also able to attend the Homesteading Freedom Festival in Paris, IL, seeing many great speakers, including Joel Salatin (above).

July– I love seeing my garden throughout the months of the season. Thriving and growing, though we definitely lacked rain and had compacted ground later in the summer. Our family took another short trip to Indiana Dunes National Park in IN. What fun to see the lakes and experience larger bodies of water. My kids haven’t been to the ocean so this was a thrill!

August– because of many issues, we didn’t raise our meat birds til later summer. We purchased 120 Cornish Cross broilers (they sent 125) and processed 106 in late September at the end of their 8 week grow period. Lots to learn this year with so many more birds, but the kids and I sure grew through this experience. And, as always, having that meat in our freezer can’t be beat.

September– apples and tomatoes this month! I love seeing them all out in the sink like this. We only get homegrown apples every two years. Lots of pie filling, canned apples, sauce, and juice on the shelves. We also canned numerous quarts of tomato sauce.

October– harvest is usually September and October for Sweet Husband. The weather is nice most of the time. This fall was very dry. I enjoyed taking my knitting and a special drink to the field while he farmed and the kids rode in the machinery. We continued to harvest quite a bit from the garden in October as well. These dry shell beans were quite the project and have been yummy!

November– It was a very sweet thing to me to raid my herb patch before frost hit and give extras to the hens and Baker the rooster. I even placed some into their nesting boxes. And, a new hobby I was excited to do in 2025: soap making! I had a childhood classmate walk me through some basics and I also attended the soap making class at the homesteading festival with Jim and Joelle from the From Scratch Farmstead. Above: I used The Bumblebee Apothecary recipes for Tallow basic soap with tea tree and eucalyptus (crinkle and sunflower mold) as well as her Shampoo bar with lavender (flat). It was a treat for me to gift some of these bars this Christmas.

December– what a rainbow! Isn’t that a neat photo? It arched right over our house. I have taken such pleasure in feeding our birds again this winter. We use our chickens’ scratch grains as well as suet blocks, some purchased and some homemade.

Here’s to a blessed 2026! What sorts of things are on your mind for the coming year? Subscribe and stay connected with us in 2026!