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Rustic Haven Homestead
Today I'm talking with Christeen at Rustic Haven Homestead.
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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis.
00:12
Today I'm talking with Christine at Rustic Haven Homestead in Washington State. Good morning, Christine. How are you? Good morning. How are you? I'm doing great. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. oh What is the weather like there?
00:30
Right now it's eight o'clock in the morning, so we're just getting our day started and it's super foggy and trying to rain.
00:40
That sounds about right for Washington state. Yes. Well, in Minnesota, it is bright and sunshiny. We got a little bit of snow overnight on top of the snow we got over the weekend. So it's very shiny outside because the snow is reflecting the sunlight. It's beautiful out. I love that. I can't wait for it to snow, but we still have a few more weeks of rain. Yeah, when.
01:05
I don't know anything about Washington state's climate except that you guys get a lot of rain. So does it get cold, cold there? It does. um Depending on where you live in Washington, that'll depend on how much snow you get. I have kind of been all over. So up in Skagit County by like Mount Baker, you get a ton of snow. And down here by Olympia so far, we don't get a lot of snow, but there's a lot of ice.
01:36
Okay. Yeah. I don't love it when there's ice. My husband drives all over the place for his job and the days when it's freezing rain, I'm just like, please be careful. Right. I don't mind driving in the snow and stuff like that just because I'm used to it from living up in Skagit County, which I didn't really grow up in. For the most part, I was born and raised in North Carolina where they put ice like
02:05
um, ice salt down instead of sand. Here they do sand. And so it's a little bit different on that front. But I've noticed that in certain areas of Washington, the roads aren't kept as well as others. So up in Skagit County, they worked really hard to make sure everything was maintained. Down here, it's like they're very short staffed.
02:32
And so the roads don't get cleared and when they do get cleared, it's clean cleared. So it's very scary. And if you don't grow up in an environment where you're actually driving in the snow and the ice, you become a danger to others. Yes. And that happens every fall here in Minnesota. That first snowstorm, there are more people who end up in the ditch than really should end up in the ditch. Yeah. And so...
03:02
I work in the medical field. have for almost 20 years and so I'm just like, just stay home. It's okay. Just stay home. If you can, don't be on the roads. Yes. Yep. Okay. is more important than your life. Oh, absolutely. You're, you're absolutely a hundred percent right. And other people's lives too, while we're talking about it. So tell me a little bit about yourself and your version of your homestead. Okay. So.
03:32
My name is Christine and I have grown up with my grandparents canning and baking everything and doing everything from scratch. My mama, she lived to be almost 100 and had a full-time garden, worked in the medical field. She worked in the hospital until she was in her 80s. And so she taught me a lot about canning.
03:59
vegetables and how to grow a garden and all of that aspect. And then whenever I was probably 30, I started getting into sourdough and learning all of that process, which has been quite fascinating actually. um But I met my spouse and we have started our own little homestead. We have all kinds of animals and
04:30
honestly all kinds of kids. uh Blended family of seven, so we have five kids between the two of us and they love to ride our goats like their horses. And it's fun to watch them get chased by chickens sometimes, but we have kind of just moved everything into a very simple life and hopefully in the next couple of years we can start homeschooling as well.
04:59
Very nice. That sounds like a beautiful life that you're building. We're trying really hard. We have a few acres and em within that we are pretty self-sustainable for the most part.
05:15
Okay, awesome. So what animals do you have? Because I always ask that question. So we have about 100 chickens. We have turkeys and geese and about 20 ducks. We have six pigs and four goats. And then we have five dogs. And so it all meshes well with our five children. I was going to say a dog for every kid. Yes.
05:45
Are the other dogs all different breeds or do you guys have a favorite breed? They are all different. So we have a 50 50 split Shepski. So he's Siberian Husky and German Shepherd. And then we have a purebred German Shepherd. We have a purebred chocolate lab. We have a purebred Belgian Malmois. And then we have what I like to call a Belgian chocolate accident.
06:15
because our chocolate lab got our Belgian and had babies. And so we have one of her babies. And so she is 50 50 Belgian Malinois and chocolate lab. Okay. I'm going to say something and don't get mad at me, but chocolate labs have always struck me as kind of dumb. They're very laid back and they're very lovey, but they're kind of dumb. Belgian Malinois is maybe one of the smartest dogs on the planet.
06:45
Absolutely. So you have turned the mix, the pub. We have. And she is actually very different. em Our Belgian Malinois, everybody has this idea that they're super crazy and just kind of all over the place. And ours is not like that. She is very much, guard mom and that's what I do. em And she's never been hyperactive like that. And then
07:15
Like you said, our chocolate lab, he's our hunting dog and he would rather live in my skin than anything. And so he has his job, but other than that, he's very much.
07:31
just hanging out. He likes to lay down. He likes to just be around his family. And so it's a very different aspect. But to get them two together, um she is hilarious because she's got the derpiness of the chocolate lab, but she's also very smart and very quick to learn. Yeah, was Belgian. So
07:58
What I was going to say is that you've taken the smartest dog and the dumbest dog on the planet and made the best dog ever. Yes. She is hilarious. And do not get me wrong. I think chocolate labs are beautiful. And we have a mini Australian shepherd right now who is five years old. And my husband and I have both decided that when she is no longer on the earthly plane in about, oh, hopefully
08:25
14 years from now, probably not. She'll probably be out long before then. We would like a lab. And I said to him, I said, if you want a uh chill, goofy dog, we should get a chocolate lab. And he was like, yeah, but, and I'm like, no, no, I think we should look at chocolate labs. Yes. Definitely not a Belgian Malinois. Get them together. It's fine. So our chocolate lab we use to duck hunt.
08:55
And he knows how to track. Arshepsky, he tracks too, but obviously that's not really in his nature to hunt. um But we hunt big game, we do waterfowl and all that stuff. We teach our kids all of that as well. And so we really do embrace every single part of being self-sustainable and really going back to our roots.
09:29
Awesome. So the chocolate lab goes hunting with you. So is he trained to hunt? He is trained to hunt. Awesome. Awesome. I love it. I love it when the dogs do the job that they that they're naturally inclined to. Yes. And then so I had some heart problems and my Shepski has been my baby for the last three years and he has never been trained or anything like that, but he will alert.
09:59
to anything that's weird with me and he will go find someone or he'll sit there and bark more like howl at me and be like, hey, something's wrong. Something's wrong. We don't like it. Something's wrong. And so he will make sure that you know one way or another that something's about to go off sides. Uh huh. Sideways. Yep.
10:24
That's amazing. love it. have two very useful dogs. assume the other three are probably useful too.
10:32
Yes, they are. So when our German Shepherd purebred girl was having babies, they were actually, he was the father to them. um And he was actually jumping our seven foot fence and going to try and find somebody to help her. And then he would come back and check on her. We have it on camera and everything. It's so cute. dogs don't actually have that like mentality for the most part.
11:01
And so it was really cool to watch. Yeah, but daddy dogs aren't usually interested when mom goes into labor. No. And so we could tell that she went into labor and was having babies because he was panicking and trying to find help. Just like a human dad is like, oh my gosh, we got to get going. We got to do this. We got to do that. He was very much dad mode. I love it. Do you have that video on YouTube or anywhere? um
11:28
currently, but we do have it on like our ring camera history. You should put it on YouTube because people would love to see that.
11:39
Yes. People meaning me, I would love to see that. Oh, absolutely. Okay. So, um sorry, I was looking at your Facebook page and there is a photo of, assume your husband with a bobcat over his shoulders. Yes, that was this year. Tell me that story. So we were out hunting. We had the kids with us and we were looking for a buck. We were on a
12:08
trail and we saw a buck and we're trying to get in a better position for it. Well, we heard rustling down below us and we're like, okay, maybe it's a bear or something like that. Just kind of avoid that area. But him and our son go over and look and there's three bobcats playing right next to where it typically floods out in the wintertime.
12:36
They're wrestling around like house cats, but then they noticed that we were up there and started charging up the hill. And so he had to dispatch it to protect the kids. you keep the hide? We did. We took it to a taxidermy and actually a lot of people don't know this, but Cougar is actually a very sweet meat. And so
13:06
We had talked about making like summer sausage or pepperoni out of it, but typically At least as much as I've ever had it It's mixed with deer or elk or bear or something along with it because it's also very lean Mm-hmm. So so you you saved the hide and you had meals out of it. Yeah, very nice I didn't know you could eat Bobcat or cougar or whatever it is. It's cougar. Yeah, okay
13:34
Here in Minnesota, we have bobcats and we have cougars and cougars look like a leopard that's just like tawny colored. Yeah. And bobcats look like big old house cats. Yes. So we have both here and he has hunted bobcat before. So we do have one that is up on the wall, but it was smaller than the cougar itself.
14:04
And so we have that, we have all of our deer antlers and those sorts of things, ducks. It looks like a hunting paradise.
14:19
I love that. It's so funny because my dad hunted. I think he still hunts occasionally now, but not as often as he used to because he's 83 years old now. uh He had a deer head mount that hung in our house for a long time. Eventually, it made its way downstairs. I don't know if it's because my mom was not comfortable with the
14:46
amount being in, you know, in the main part of the house. Yeah. Or if they just were bored with it and didn't want to have it up anymore. Hmm. Interesting. I know when my kids were smaller, we would go to my grandfather's house and he hunts and they did not like the feel of the hide. And so the bearskin rug and stuff like that. uh
15:14
the elk skin that he had hanging on the wall, they were not a fan. The touch and feel of it for them, they would freak out and they did not like it. Oh, okay. And so they grew out of that. Obviously they were a lot younger then, but it was interesting to kind of watch them just, nope, I ain't doing that. No, thank you, sis. You keep that over there every time we went to his house.
15:44
Funny. Now, Christine, do you hunt too? I do. Awesome. Because most women are not really into it. I know there are some, but men tend to be the hunters. Women tend to be the cookers, the ones who cook the food. And my mom hunted for years. My mom actually got a doe when she was very pregnant with my sister. Oh my goodness. I, this year,
16:14
on opening day, about 30 minutes into opening day after like shooting light starts is when I took down a three point. So my season was very short because I just hurried up and got it done, which honestly never happens. em And so I was very thankful for that, but we are starting to get the kids into it. Our son hunted last year and he got a spike.
16:43
And then this year our daughters got a chance to hunt, but we couldn't get anything for them this time, but next year. I love that you're teaching your kids to hunt. And there's a reason why. With all the stuff going on in the world right now, I really think that we as parents should teach our kids survival skills and feed yourself skills. uh
17:12
Hunting and fishing are just a dying art. I live in Minnesota. We have tons of deer. And the hunting population is shrinking every year. So few people are still hunting. Yes. So we hunt, we fish. em I cook everything and the kids get to help me. On my page, there's a lot of things that I've made with game and everything like that.
17:42
m Also, my spouse is a general contractor. And so we have kind of all of the aspects. I'm medical, he can build literally anything and it's just gorgeous. m And so then we have incorporated hunting and being able to cook from scratch and not just out of a box.
18:08
and making sure that our kids are involved with that kind of lifestyle as well. That way they have those skills. um Obviously living on a farm, there's a lot of times where you get to bandage up everything. And so they get to see that as well. Our hunting dog had ripped open part of his chest and I...
18:34
cleaned him up, got him all ready and stapled him back together because we called everywhere and all of the pet ERs around here were like, oh, we're at capacity. I was like, dude, I've worked in the ER. I don't even know what that means. We never got to be like, oh, sorry, we're at capacity. I don't know what to tell you. And you just take care of it. And so I was like, I can't let him just have this three inch open gash in his chest.
19:02
that's going to get infected if I don't close it up. So I did like I would do to a human and shaved the area, cleaned it up, made sure it was all pretty and put about 10 staples in there.
19:18
He healed up nice, you can't even tell that it ever happened. You are a superwoman, Christine. We just did it at home, it was fine. And so there's been times where I've had to do little procedures like that on our animals and take care of that. Obviously bandaging up kids as they get hurt as well.
19:42
Yeah, and kids get hurt all the time. really do. Especially when they're running from chickens. Yes. Yes, exactly. We didn't have chickens when my kids were small. they didn't get hurt running after chickens, our chickens running after them. But they definitely got hurt um riding their bikes and swinging and things like that. My stepson actually broke one arm one summer and the other arm
20:12
the next summer. no. And during the summer, that's so hard. Yep. had, he had, um, can't think, casts on his forearms, opposite arms, two summers in a row. So we lived off grid for about a year. And so everything was like solar and all of that. and during that period of time, we had exposed beams for like in our ceiling.
20:41
And my daughter who adores Spider-Man jumped off of the top bunk of her bed, tried to grab the beam with her hands and kind of like swing from it, much like Spider-Man. um She was wearing her Spider-Man costume and she fell because it had gloves and she slipped and fell and
21:09
broke her wrist like through a growth plate and I was like girlfriend what are you doing? And she went to school and she goes yeah I fell I fell from the ceiling and I was like maybe don't say it like that. You didn't fall from the ceiling. You little weirdo.
21:29
Oh my God, the things that kids do. uh My stepson actually broke one of his arms because he was swinging really, really high and he decided to jump off as it was going up. Of course. And uh the second one was that he was riding his bike down an incline, which he'd done a billion times, caught a weird rock sticking out of the ground. The wheel turned sharp and he fell off his bike and broke the other arm. Oh my goodness.
21:58
Yeah, like totally a fluke thing. He had ridden that hill a billion times. So you never know what's going to happen. you just pray that they're going to be okay when they're grownups. um Okay. So you said you have a hundred chickens. Do you have chickens for eggs or do you have them for eggs and meat? So far just eggs. um But we are, well, most of our kids now like duck eggs better than
22:28
chicken eggs. And so we have both for the eggs itself, but my spouse has actually got into incubating. And so we have babies all the time now.
22:46
Yes. It's been a treat because whenever everywhere stops selling baby chicks, we still have baby chicks and baby ducks and all of that. And so that's been special. I wish Washington state wasn't so far away from Minnesota because we are going to be in the market for baby chicks here in February. Yes.
23:16
It would be great. We would love to have you out. Yeah, I'm not driving all the way to Washington state for chicks. I can't afford it. And that would be some really expensive eggs eventually. Yes. But that's OK. um I've been trying to find somebody in the area who sells chicks locally. I don't. There's a few Facebook pages that I am on that are in your
23:46
area or have someone in your area or near your area that are selling. Okay. So I will go try to find that because my husband wanted to order chicks from a hatchery and I think I have him talked out of it because the post office isn't very nice to box chicks. No. And I don't want to open up a box of chicks and find half of them dead. Yeah. No.
24:14
That's not good. And there's been a lot of that lately. Yeah. And I think I have him convinced that if he really wants to get into it, we can get an incubator and we can order eggs because the hatching eggs are actually taken better care of than the chicks are. And there's a lot of like local places too that I know in our area, if you're part of like a farm swap group on Facebook or anything like that, you can usually find
24:43
hatching eggs or chicks locally? Yeah, I know we can, but I also really, when I talk to you guys, I'm like, God, I wish we lived closer because I would give you money. I would give you money for chicks. That would be fine. Do you have any like breed in Because want to support you guys too. Huh? Yeah. Do you have any breed in mind of chicks that you're looking for? Right now, the chickens we have are the ISA Browns.
25:13
Uh-huh. And we really love them because they're friendly and they're calm. Okay. So I'm trying to find somebody that has those, but I don't know. I don't know if anybody does. I'm not sure. I know usually like tractor supply and places like that carry stuff like that. Another one that we have found to be really mellow is the buff Orbingtons. And they're pretty. And they're pretty. So we have
25:43
a couple of those and the first one that we got, we named her Blondie and she is just so pretty and so nice. She doesn't really like go after anybody or anything like that. She's actually just really mellow.
26:07
A friend of mine who lives about half an hour away has the Bantam chickens. Mm-hmm. The little chickens. The little chickens are actually aggressive. They are, especially the roosters. Yeah, I had no idea. And they're also really good moms. They are. We had some silkies and they're supposed to be like really good moms and really into that sort of scene. Ours were not smart.
26:38
So I don't really know. We would find them like just hanging out. And I don't know if they couldn't see, but they would just stand next to the coop. Huh, weird. And they would try to roost like in the coop door and we would have to go out and like push them into the coop at night because they would just sit in the door. I'm like, dude, you got to go in. The owls are going to get you. You know, um...
27:06
I follow a Facebook page called Harry Farm Pit Girls, which is really fun to say. And they have silkies and their silkies are really dumb. Yeah, they are. Maybe it's a thing with silkies. Yeah, silkies are known to be pretty dumb. They're pretty useless. They're just cute and fun to watch. Yeah, they're really pretty, just like the buff warpingtons are pretty. But the silkies are like really fluffy, right? Yes. Yeah.
27:34
Whenever it rains, they look like they are drowned rats. It kills me. I mean, honestly, any chicken will look like a drowned rat if they're in the rain long enough. Our chickens look like drowned rats. they're actually smart enough to go in their coop when it's pouring. I'm kind of impressed. Yep. All except for the silkies. They just stay out there and hang out. My dad would say they're dumb as a stump. Yes. I agree.
28:03
That's my favorite thing that my dad used to say about people. He'd be like, don't want to, I don't want to his version of throw shade. You know, I know what he said, but his, he would say, I don't want to his version of throw shade, but that one's dumb as a stump. he's from Maine and he has an accent, you know, the New England accent. So, so dumb as a stump always sounded very funny coming out of his mouth. Yes. So, little.
28:30
tiny aside, I love my dad, love my mom. They're still with us. They still live in Maine. They live on, I think 14 acres.
28:41
and they have chickens too. But anyway, do you have more time? Do you have like 10 more minutes? I do. I do. Okay. So I saw that you make homemade soap. Do you make the cold process lye soap? I have previously. I don't let my kids do that because of the lye itself. It's a little too dangerous for them right now until they get a little bit older. But I have done it in the past.
29:09
and right now we're just doing melt and pour to get them into it. So they learn without having to handle lye immediately. um But I really like it. It's fun to do. So how, I've never done that that way. We do the cold process lye soap. how does that work? So the melt and pour, you can actually buy a soap base that has already
29:36
kind of gone through the process, it's already mixed and you literally just melt it, put your colors in, put your fragrance in if you want any, anything like that that you wanna do and mix it together and pour it in a, any kind of like silicone mold that you have is what I use mostly just to make sure it comes out pretty easy. um But that's what I do with the kids, that way,
30:06
It's an easier process for them and it's a little more instant since with cold press or even hot press, it's a process and they're not that patient. Yeah. So with the melt and pour, does it have to cure at all or is it ready to go once it's all? It's ready to go once it's cooled down. Okay. And then
30:32
I'm really curious about this because I haven't talked to anybody who does it, the you do it. Is the Melton Hore base, is it already soap? Yes. Okay. Yep. It's already soap. And I don't want to get into your finances or business, but is the base expensive? It's not really expensive. You can usually get like, um depending on what you are wanting, because you can get like an aloe base, you can get coconut milk, you can get, oh.
31:01
You can get literally anything. So it depends on what you're looking for as far as that goes. But you can usually get like five, 10 pounds of it, you know, for 20 to 40 bucks, depending on what kind. OK, where do you get it from? You can actually get it from like Hobby Lobby or Amazon. I usually if I'm just doing enough just to hang out with the kids and have something fun to do, I'll just go to like Hobby Lobby.
31:31
Okay. Otherwise, I will order it and let them make for, you know, family, friends, and that sort of thing. As far as that part goes, the rest of it, I do like a cold press. Okay, awesome. I knew that there that you could do it the way that you do it. my husband is very into doing stuff from from like zero to 100. Yes. And
31:58
When I asked him if we could try making it, he was like, let me look it up. And when he saw how to do it, it's science. It's an experiment. really is. So he really wanted to do it. so when my kids get a little bit older, I will. Yes. Yes. And like I was saying, when my kids get a little bit older, because eight to 12, they don't have the capacity for that yet. It's a process.
32:26
It's not instant gratification afterwards. When they get older, we'll go back to just doing the cold process. But while they're learning and still figuring it out, I just let them do the melt and pour. I think that's great. And so do they make like crazy colors? They do. um
32:49
Their most recent phase has been like blues and teals and purples. And um so we have all sorts of like swirled soaps with those colors because you can still do some of the artistic parts. Not as much because I mean, it's not quite as technical as the cold press, but you can get colors, you can get
33:18
some fun things out of it as far as designs go. And so we have swirls of blues and purples and greens and teals throughout the house right now. So much fun. Do you give them as gifts at Christmas time? We haven't yet. They are very new starting out. So this has been the first year that they've really been interested in doing it. So we've done it a few times and
33:49
They like to take them for themselves, which I am fine with with those ones, because that's more of just having fun while learning how to do it. em But they have taken them to their friends and given them that way, not necessarily as like a birthday present or anything like that, but just an anytime gift.
34:12
That's fabulous. love it. Rainbow Swirl Soaps. have to try making some of those. Okay. And then I saw that you do a lot of bread baking and cooking from scratch. the kids involved in that too? They are. On my Facebook page, there's actually pictures of us making jam and breads and they love it. I make pickled green beans and
34:42
they go crazy for them. I have to keep those stocked pretty regularly. That's one of their absolute favorite snacks. Whenever I do breads, they are like, nope, you have to make this one for us. This isn't a selling one. You have to make this one for us. And I said, okay. So they really like the cinnamon loaf. like the garlic parmesan loaf. Those are their favorites. And then just regular
35:10
like sandwich style bread and they'll go through about a pint and a half of jam along with that and I'm like, okay guys, we need another snack.
35:26
Yes. I told this story on the podcast months ago. had made a bunch with, we canned a bunch of strawberry jam and I thought that we were out and uh my son who still lives with us had grabbed a jar out of the pantry because he knew where they were. They were staffed. And I still don't know where they are. I think there's four more jars. have to ask him where they are. But he was having toast and
35:53
I was totally fine with him finding the pint of strawberry jam. Yeah. Or half pint, the jelly jar size. Yes. And he, I went to do something, probably a podcast and I went to look for that strawberry jam in the fridge the next morning and uh there was no strawberry jam in the fridge. And I said, what happened to the jar you opened yesterday? And he said, I ate it yesterday. Yeah. I was like, you are an adult man child. Yep.
36:22
Absolutely. said, you ate an entire jar of strawberry jam on your toast. He said, yeah, it's really good. And I was like, yeah, I know. Wish I had some.
36:34
Yeah, same. I also enjoy it. That was a new one on me, but I have to ask him where they are because I don't think he's eaten the other four jars. If he has, he's in big trouble. Right. Yes, I turn around and the dilly beans and the jam go quick. And so I have to continuously be making those. Yeah. You make freezer jam, right?
37:01
I do both. The freezer jam I let the kids help with. It's a little easier process and so it's a good starting point for them. Okay, so when you make freezer jam, do you actually do that in jars or do you do it in like a plastic container so it's not as breakable? I do it in jars because we go through it really fast. Okay. And so I just do the wide mouth jars for uh
37:30
pretty much everything that has to do with um anything that'll go in the freezer. Those are the only ones that I use for that. And I think almost everything has been converted just to wide mouth at this point because I am doing soups and all of that. um But with those, I think I do usually about 10 at a time.
38:00
the kids will go through them within a month.
38:04
What's the age range on your kids again? So I have five kiddos. Four of them are girls between the ages of eight and 10. So I have a kiddo, our youngest just turned eight and then I have an eight and a half year old. And then we have a nine year old and a 10 year old. And then our son is 12.
38:26
Lots of drama. They all fight over who's helping and who's doing what. so everything takes a little bit longer, but they enjoy it a lot more. Yes. And you are making memories. Yes. uh I listened to another podcast on Monday mornings. It's called best to the nest BST to the NST. uh one of the there's two women.
38:56
One of the women is older, think she's 60. One of the women is younger and she's in her 40s. And the older woman has been going back to school. And she was talking about the memories that we make when we're children versus how we remember those memories when we're adults. And we actually, we actually like,
39:25
construct new things around the actual event that we're remembering. Yeah. It's really interesting. I wish I could say it better. But um the memories that kids make as children influence everything they do until the day that they die. Yes. So keep doing the things with your kids because you are building amazing groundwork for them to build on.
39:54
I know that whenever my first season hunting with my spouse and everything after we hadn't really got together and blended and everything like that, every single kiddo, plus my spouse and I, were all there whenever I shot my deer. And while it wasn't the biggest deer, it was a core memory for everyone. I'm pretty sure our son levitated up to where that deer was, because he...
40:22
I think even beat me there. And I had to keep telling him, you got to wait. We got to make sure that he is completely dispatched before you go up there because he will be mad. He will come at you with his antlers. so that was a core memory for all of them. And since then, it's kind of been tradition that we all go together regardless of who's hunting and not hunting yet. And so
40:52
Our son shot his deer and everyone was there. We all got to experience it with them. And so it's been a lot of core memories made.
41:07
I am sitting here just like stuck, like there's a sob in my chest regarding this because that's so good.
41:17
I would rather them be out in the woods and experiencing nature and playing in the dirt like we used to, than sitting on phones and tablets and nonsense inside or getting into trouble at school. A hundred and fifty thousand percent agree with you, Christine.
41:39
They always ask, what did you guys do as kids? And I was like, outside. That was it. We weren't allowed inside. Like in the summertime and stuff like that, your toys were outside.
41:51
Yeah, and it wasn't toys that were bought. was sticks and rocks and rain and mud. You had to go build a fort. You had to go ride your bikes. You had to go play catch or whatever. But all of it was done outside. You weren't allowed inside until it was time for dinner. The good old days. I miss those days so much. We don't even hardly have streetlights anymore. So there's no
42:21
time frame. It's just there. Yeah. Yeah. You are doing, you're doing it right.
42:30
And so we try to make sure that our kids are set up to succeed in life, matter what this world looks like.
42:39
You're making me want to go back and do it all over again. And I can't. I'm too old to have babies anymore. can't do it all over again.
42:49
That's why I like working in the medical field because I get to see babies and give them snuggles while they're in our clinic and then they go home. So it's like having them momentarily. Yeah. And the thing is that's awesome, except that I don't work in the medical field and none of my kids want babies. Yes. So I am out of the baby loop completely at this point.
43:16
And it's okay because the last time I held a baby, was like, I think I might be past this because I don't know how to hold a baby anymore. It's weird. It's like riding a bike. You do it enough and you know it all over again. Yep. I just have to cock the hip out and do the thing that I did for years with mine. Okay. So we are 43 minutes and 30 seconds. I would love to know where people can find you, Christine.
43:43
um So I am on Facebook. You can find me at Rustic Haven Homestead. It's got a cute picture of a coop and everything about us is on there. And then, yeah, just reach out, come find me.
44:00
Okay. And you said, so you do or you don't have a YouTube channel? I don't currently. My daughter is very forward on getting us to that point. She's 10 and she would love to be the star of that. Okay. Well, let me know when you have it and I will add it to the show notes. How's that? Perfect. That sounds amazing. Okay. As always, people can find me at atinyhomesteadpodcast.com. And if you would like to support
44:28
the podcast, can go to atinyhomestead.com slash support. Christine, I loved this conversation. I feel like we were kind of all over the place, but that's how it goes. And uh really glad to talk about hunting and the fact that you can eat cougar. didn't know that. That was amazing. And I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your week. Yes, you as well. All right. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye.
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By Mary E LewisToday I'm talking with Christeen at Rustic Haven Homestead.
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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis.
00:12
Today I'm talking with Christine at Rustic Haven Homestead in Washington State. Good morning, Christine. How are you? Good morning. How are you? I'm doing great. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. oh What is the weather like there?
00:30
Right now it's eight o'clock in the morning, so we're just getting our day started and it's super foggy and trying to rain.
00:40
That sounds about right for Washington state. Yes. Well, in Minnesota, it is bright and sunshiny. We got a little bit of snow overnight on top of the snow we got over the weekend. So it's very shiny outside because the snow is reflecting the sunlight. It's beautiful out. I love that. I can't wait for it to snow, but we still have a few more weeks of rain. Yeah, when.
01:05
I don't know anything about Washington state's climate except that you guys get a lot of rain. So does it get cold, cold there? It does. um Depending on where you live in Washington, that'll depend on how much snow you get. I have kind of been all over. So up in Skagit County by like Mount Baker, you get a ton of snow. And down here by Olympia so far, we don't get a lot of snow, but there's a lot of ice.
01:36
Okay. Yeah. I don't love it when there's ice. My husband drives all over the place for his job and the days when it's freezing rain, I'm just like, please be careful. Right. I don't mind driving in the snow and stuff like that just because I'm used to it from living up in Skagit County, which I didn't really grow up in. For the most part, I was born and raised in North Carolina where they put ice like
02:05
um, ice salt down instead of sand. Here they do sand. And so it's a little bit different on that front. But I've noticed that in certain areas of Washington, the roads aren't kept as well as others. So up in Skagit County, they worked really hard to make sure everything was maintained. Down here, it's like they're very short staffed.
02:32
And so the roads don't get cleared and when they do get cleared, it's clean cleared. So it's very scary. And if you don't grow up in an environment where you're actually driving in the snow and the ice, you become a danger to others. Yes. And that happens every fall here in Minnesota. That first snowstorm, there are more people who end up in the ditch than really should end up in the ditch. Yeah. And so...
03:02
I work in the medical field. have for almost 20 years and so I'm just like, just stay home. It's okay. Just stay home. If you can, don't be on the roads. Yes. Yep. Okay. is more important than your life. Oh, absolutely. You're, you're absolutely a hundred percent right. And other people's lives too, while we're talking about it. So tell me a little bit about yourself and your version of your homestead. Okay. So.
03:32
My name is Christine and I have grown up with my grandparents canning and baking everything and doing everything from scratch. My mama, she lived to be almost 100 and had a full-time garden, worked in the medical field. She worked in the hospital until she was in her 80s. And so she taught me a lot about canning.
03:59
vegetables and how to grow a garden and all of that aspect. And then whenever I was probably 30, I started getting into sourdough and learning all of that process, which has been quite fascinating actually. um But I met my spouse and we have started our own little homestead. We have all kinds of animals and
04:30
honestly all kinds of kids. uh Blended family of seven, so we have five kids between the two of us and they love to ride our goats like their horses. And it's fun to watch them get chased by chickens sometimes, but we have kind of just moved everything into a very simple life and hopefully in the next couple of years we can start homeschooling as well.
04:59
Very nice. That sounds like a beautiful life that you're building. We're trying really hard. We have a few acres and em within that we are pretty self-sustainable for the most part.
05:15
Okay, awesome. So what animals do you have? Because I always ask that question. So we have about 100 chickens. We have turkeys and geese and about 20 ducks. We have six pigs and four goats. And then we have five dogs. And so it all meshes well with our five children. I was going to say a dog for every kid. Yes.
05:45
Are the other dogs all different breeds or do you guys have a favorite breed? They are all different. So we have a 50 50 split Shepski. So he's Siberian Husky and German Shepherd. And then we have a purebred German Shepherd. We have a purebred chocolate lab. We have a purebred Belgian Malmois. And then we have what I like to call a Belgian chocolate accident.
06:15
because our chocolate lab got our Belgian and had babies. And so we have one of her babies. And so she is 50 50 Belgian Malinois and chocolate lab. Okay. I'm going to say something and don't get mad at me, but chocolate labs have always struck me as kind of dumb. They're very laid back and they're very lovey, but they're kind of dumb. Belgian Malinois is maybe one of the smartest dogs on the planet.
06:45
Absolutely. So you have turned the mix, the pub. We have. And she is actually very different. em Our Belgian Malinois, everybody has this idea that they're super crazy and just kind of all over the place. And ours is not like that. She is very much, guard mom and that's what I do. em And she's never been hyperactive like that. And then
07:15
Like you said, our chocolate lab, he's our hunting dog and he would rather live in my skin than anything. And so he has his job, but other than that, he's very much.
07:31
just hanging out. He likes to lay down. He likes to just be around his family. And so it's a very different aspect. But to get them two together, um she is hilarious because she's got the derpiness of the chocolate lab, but she's also very smart and very quick to learn. Yeah, was Belgian. So
07:58
What I was going to say is that you've taken the smartest dog and the dumbest dog on the planet and made the best dog ever. Yes. She is hilarious. And do not get me wrong. I think chocolate labs are beautiful. And we have a mini Australian shepherd right now who is five years old. And my husband and I have both decided that when she is no longer on the earthly plane in about, oh, hopefully
08:25
14 years from now, probably not. She'll probably be out long before then. We would like a lab. And I said to him, I said, if you want a uh chill, goofy dog, we should get a chocolate lab. And he was like, yeah, but, and I'm like, no, no, I think we should look at chocolate labs. Yes. Definitely not a Belgian Malinois. Get them together. It's fine. So our chocolate lab we use to duck hunt.
08:55
And he knows how to track. Arshepsky, he tracks too, but obviously that's not really in his nature to hunt. um But we hunt big game, we do waterfowl and all that stuff. We teach our kids all of that as well. And so we really do embrace every single part of being self-sustainable and really going back to our roots.
09:29
Awesome. So the chocolate lab goes hunting with you. So is he trained to hunt? He is trained to hunt. Awesome. Awesome. I love it. I love it when the dogs do the job that they that they're naturally inclined to. Yes. And then so I had some heart problems and my Shepski has been my baby for the last three years and he has never been trained or anything like that, but he will alert.
09:59
to anything that's weird with me and he will go find someone or he'll sit there and bark more like howl at me and be like, hey, something's wrong. Something's wrong. We don't like it. Something's wrong. And so he will make sure that you know one way or another that something's about to go off sides. Uh huh. Sideways. Yep.
10:24
That's amazing. love it. have two very useful dogs. assume the other three are probably useful too.
10:32
Yes, they are. So when our German Shepherd purebred girl was having babies, they were actually, he was the father to them. um And he was actually jumping our seven foot fence and going to try and find somebody to help her. And then he would come back and check on her. We have it on camera and everything. It's so cute. dogs don't actually have that like mentality for the most part.
11:01
And so it was really cool to watch. Yeah, but daddy dogs aren't usually interested when mom goes into labor. No. And so we could tell that she went into labor and was having babies because he was panicking and trying to find help. Just like a human dad is like, oh my gosh, we got to get going. We got to do this. We got to do that. He was very much dad mode. I love it. Do you have that video on YouTube or anywhere? um
11:28
currently, but we do have it on like our ring camera history. You should put it on YouTube because people would love to see that.
11:39
Yes. People meaning me, I would love to see that. Oh, absolutely. Okay. So, um sorry, I was looking at your Facebook page and there is a photo of, assume your husband with a bobcat over his shoulders. Yes, that was this year. Tell me that story. So we were out hunting. We had the kids with us and we were looking for a buck. We were on a
12:08
trail and we saw a buck and we're trying to get in a better position for it. Well, we heard rustling down below us and we're like, okay, maybe it's a bear or something like that. Just kind of avoid that area. But him and our son go over and look and there's three bobcats playing right next to where it typically floods out in the wintertime.
12:36
They're wrestling around like house cats, but then they noticed that we were up there and started charging up the hill. And so he had to dispatch it to protect the kids. you keep the hide? We did. We took it to a taxidermy and actually a lot of people don't know this, but Cougar is actually a very sweet meat. And so
13:06
We had talked about making like summer sausage or pepperoni out of it, but typically At least as much as I've ever had it It's mixed with deer or elk or bear or something along with it because it's also very lean Mm-hmm. So so you you saved the hide and you had meals out of it. Yeah, very nice I didn't know you could eat Bobcat or cougar or whatever it is. It's cougar. Yeah, okay
13:34
Here in Minnesota, we have bobcats and we have cougars and cougars look like a leopard that's just like tawny colored. Yeah. And bobcats look like big old house cats. Yes. So we have both here and he has hunted bobcat before. So we do have one that is up on the wall, but it was smaller than the cougar itself.
14:04
And so we have that, we have all of our deer antlers and those sorts of things, ducks. It looks like a hunting paradise.
14:19
I love that. It's so funny because my dad hunted. I think he still hunts occasionally now, but not as often as he used to because he's 83 years old now. uh He had a deer head mount that hung in our house for a long time. Eventually, it made its way downstairs. I don't know if it's because my mom was not comfortable with the
14:46
amount being in, you know, in the main part of the house. Yeah. Or if they just were bored with it and didn't want to have it up anymore. Hmm. Interesting. I know when my kids were smaller, we would go to my grandfather's house and he hunts and they did not like the feel of the hide. And so the bearskin rug and stuff like that. uh
15:14
the elk skin that he had hanging on the wall, they were not a fan. The touch and feel of it for them, they would freak out and they did not like it. Oh, okay. And so they grew out of that. Obviously they were a lot younger then, but it was interesting to kind of watch them just, nope, I ain't doing that. No, thank you, sis. You keep that over there every time we went to his house.
15:44
Funny. Now, Christine, do you hunt too? I do. Awesome. Because most women are not really into it. I know there are some, but men tend to be the hunters. Women tend to be the cookers, the ones who cook the food. And my mom hunted for years. My mom actually got a doe when she was very pregnant with my sister. Oh my goodness. I, this year,
16:14
on opening day, about 30 minutes into opening day after like shooting light starts is when I took down a three point. So my season was very short because I just hurried up and got it done, which honestly never happens. em And so I was very thankful for that, but we are starting to get the kids into it. Our son hunted last year and he got a spike.
16:43
And then this year our daughters got a chance to hunt, but we couldn't get anything for them this time, but next year. I love that you're teaching your kids to hunt. And there's a reason why. With all the stuff going on in the world right now, I really think that we as parents should teach our kids survival skills and feed yourself skills. uh
17:12
Hunting and fishing are just a dying art. I live in Minnesota. We have tons of deer. And the hunting population is shrinking every year. So few people are still hunting. Yes. So we hunt, we fish. em I cook everything and the kids get to help me. On my page, there's a lot of things that I've made with game and everything like that.
17:42
m Also, my spouse is a general contractor. And so we have kind of all of the aspects. I'm medical, he can build literally anything and it's just gorgeous. m And so then we have incorporated hunting and being able to cook from scratch and not just out of a box.
18:08
and making sure that our kids are involved with that kind of lifestyle as well. That way they have those skills. um Obviously living on a farm, there's a lot of times where you get to bandage up everything. And so they get to see that as well. Our hunting dog had ripped open part of his chest and I...
18:34
cleaned him up, got him all ready and stapled him back together because we called everywhere and all of the pet ERs around here were like, oh, we're at capacity. I was like, dude, I've worked in the ER. I don't even know what that means. We never got to be like, oh, sorry, we're at capacity. I don't know what to tell you. And you just take care of it. And so I was like, I can't let him just have this three inch open gash in his chest.
19:02
that's going to get infected if I don't close it up. So I did like I would do to a human and shaved the area, cleaned it up, made sure it was all pretty and put about 10 staples in there.
19:18
He healed up nice, you can't even tell that it ever happened. You are a superwoman, Christine. We just did it at home, it was fine. And so there's been times where I've had to do little procedures like that on our animals and take care of that. Obviously bandaging up kids as they get hurt as well.
19:42
Yeah, and kids get hurt all the time. really do. Especially when they're running from chickens. Yes. Yes, exactly. We didn't have chickens when my kids were small. they didn't get hurt running after chickens, our chickens running after them. But they definitely got hurt um riding their bikes and swinging and things like that. My stepson actually broke one arm one summer and the other arm
20:12
the next summer. no. And during the summer, that's so hard. Yep. had, he had, um, can't think, casts on his forearms, opposite arms, two summers in a row. So we lived off grid for about a year. And so everything was like solar and all of that. and during that period of time, we had exposed beams for like in our ceiling.
20:41
And my daughter who adores Spider-Man jumped off of the top bunk of her bed, tried to grab the beam with her hands and kind of like swing from it, much like Spider-Man. um She was wearing her Spider-Man costume and she fell because it had gloves and she slipped and fell and
21:09
broke her wrist like through a growth plate and I was like girlfriend what are you doing? And she went to school and she goes yeah I fell I fell from the ceiling and I was like maybe don't say it like that. You didn't fall from the ceiling. You little weirdo.
21:29
Oh my God, the things that kids do. uh My stepson actually broke one of his arms because he was swinging really, really high and he decided to jump off as it was going up. Of course. And uh the second one was that he was riding his bike down an incline, which he'd done a billion times, caught a weird rock sticking out of the ground. The wheel turned sharp and he fell off his bike and broke the other arm. Oh my goodness.
21:58
Yeah, like totally a fluke thing. He had ridden that hill a billion times. So you never know what's going to happen. you just pray that they're going to be okay when they're grownups. um Okay. So you said you have a hundred chickens. Do you have chickens for eggs or do you have them for eggs and meat? So far just eggs. um But we are, well, most of our kids now like duck eggs better than
22:28
chicken eggs. And so we have both for the eggs itself, but my spouse has actually got into incubating. And so we have babies all the time now.
22:46
Yes. It's been a treat because whenever everywhere stops selling baby chicks, we still have baby chicks and baby ducks and all of that. And so that's been special. I wish Washington state wasn't so far away from Minnesota because we are going to be in the market for baby chicks here in February. Yes.
23:16
It would be great. We would love to have you out. Yeah, I'm not driving all the way to Washington state for chicks. I can't afford it. And that would be some really expensive eggs eventually. Yes. But that's OK. um I've been trying to find somebody in the area who sells chicks locally. I don't. There's a few Facebook pages that I am on that are in your
23:46
area or have someone in your area or near your area that are selling. Okay. So I will go try to find that because my husband wanted to order chicks from a hatchery and I think I have him talked out of it because the post office isn't very nice to box chicks. No. And I don't want to open up a box of chicks and find half of them dead. Yeah. No.
24:14
That's not good. And there's been a lot of that lately. Yeah. And I think I have him convinced that if he really wants to get into it, we can get an incubator and we can order eggs because the hatching eggs are actually taken better care of than the chicks are. And there's a lot of like local places too that I know in our area, if you're part of like a farm swap group on Facebook or anything like that, you can usually find
24:43
hatching eggs or chicks locally? Yeah, I know we can, but I also really, when I talk to you guys, I'm like, God, I wish we lived closer because I would give you money. I would give you money for chicks. That would be fine. Do you have any like breed in Because want to support you guys too. Huh? Yeah. Do you have any breed in mind of chicks that you're looking for? Right now, the chickens we have are the ISA Browns.
25:13
Uh-huh. And we really love them because they're friendly and they're calm. Okay. So I'm trying to find somebody that has those, but I don't know. I don't know if anybody does. I'm not sure. I know usually like tractor supply and places like that carry stuff like that. Another one that we have found to be really mellow is the buff Orbingtons. And they're pretty. And they're pretty. So we have
25:43
a couple of those and the first one that we got, we named her Blondie and she is just so pretty and so nice. She doesn't really like go after anybody or anything like that. She's actually just really mellow.
26:07
A friend of mine who lives about half an hour away has the Bantam chickens. Mm-hmm. The little chickens. The little chickens are actually aggressive. They are, especially the roosters. Yeah, I had no idea. And they're also really good moms. They are. We had some silkies and they're supposed to be like really good moms and really into that sort of scene. Ours were not smart.
26:38
So I don't really know. We would find them like just hanging out. And I don't know if they couldn't see, but they would just stand next to the coop. Huh, weird. And they would try to roost like in the coop door and we would have to go out and like push them into the coop at night because they would just sit in the door. I'm like, dude, you got to go in. The owls are going to get you. You know, um...
27:06
I follow a Facebook page called Harry Farm Pit Girls, which is really fun to say. And they have silkies and their silkies are really dumb. Yeah, they are. Maybe it's a thing with silkies. Yeah, silkies are known to be pretty dumb. They're pretty useless. They're just cute and fun to watch. Yeah, they're really pretty, just like the buff warpingtons are pretty. But the silkies are like really fluffy, right? Yes. Yeah.
27:34
Whenever it rains, they look like they are drowned rats. It kills me. I mean, honestly, any chicken will look like a drowned rat if they're in the rain long enough. Our chickens look like drowned rats. they're actually smart enough to go in their coop when it's pouring. I'm kind of impressed. Yep. All except for the silkies. They just stay out there and hang out. My dad would say they're dumb as a stump. Yes. I agree.
28:03
That's my favorite thing that my dad used to say about people. He'd be like, don't want to, I don't want to his version of throw shade. You know, I know what he said, but his, he would say, I don't want to his version of throw shade, but that one's dumb as a stump. he's from Maine and he has an accent, you know, the New England accent. So, so dumb as a stump always sounded very funny coming out of his mouth. Yes. So, little.
28:30
tiny aside, I love my dad, love my mom. They're still with us. They still live in Maine. They live on, I think 14 acres.
28:41
and they have chickens too. But anyway, do you have more time? Do you have like 10 more minutes? I do. I do. Okay. So I saw that you make homemade soap. Do you make the cold process lye soap? I have previously. I don't let my kids do that because of the lye itself. It's a little too dangerous for them right now until they get a little bit older. But I have done it in the past.
29:09
and right now we're just doing melt and pour to get them into it. So they learn without having to handle lye immediately. um But I really like it. It's fun to do. So how, I've never done that that way. We do the cold process lye soap. how does that work? So the melt and pour, you can actually buy a soap base that has already
29:36
kind of gone through the process, it's already mixed and you literally just melt it, put your colors in, put your fragrance in if you want any, anything like that that you wanna do and mix it together and pour it in a, any kind of like silicone mold that you have is what I use mostly just to make sure it comes out pretty easy. um But that's what I do with the kids, that way,
30:06
It's an easier process for them and it's a little more instant since with cold press or even hot press, it's a process and they're not that patient. Yeah. So with the melt and pour, does it have to cure at all or is it ready to go once it's all? It's ready to go once it's cooled down. Okay. And then
30:32
I'm really curious about this because I haven't talked to anybody who does it, the you do it. Is the Melton Hore base, is it already soap? Yes. Okay. Yep. It's already soap. And I don't want to get into your finances or business, but is the base expensive? It's not really expensive. You can usually get like, um depending on what you are wanting, because you can get like an aloe base, you can get coconut milk, you can get, oh.
31:01
You can get literally anything. So it depends on what you're looking for as far as that goes. But you can usually get like five, 10 pounds of it, you know, for 20 to 40 bucks, depending on what kind. OK, where do you get it from? You can actually get it from like Hobby Lobby or Amazon. I usually if I'm just doing enough just to hang out with the kids and have something fun to do, I'll just go to like Hobby Lobby.
31:31
Okay. Otherwise, I will order it and let them make for, you know, family, friends, and that sort of thing. As far as that part goes, the rest of it, I do like a cold press. Okay, awesome. I knew that there that you could do it the way that you do it. my husband is very into doing stuff from from like zero to 100. Yes. And
31:58
When I asked him if we could try making it, he was like, let me look it up. And when he saw how to do it, it's science. It's an experiment. really is. So he really wanted to do it. so when my kids get a little bit older, I will. Yes. Yes. And like I was saying, when my kids get a little bit older, because eight to 12, they don't have the capacity for that yet. It's a process.
32:26
It's not instant gratification afterwards. When they get older, we'll go back to just doing the cold process. But while they're learning and still figuring it out, I just let them do the melt and pour. I think that's great. And so do they make like crazy colors? They do. um
32:49
Their most recent phase has been like blues and teals and purples. And um so we have all sorts of like swirled soaps with those colors because you can still do some of the artistic parts. Not as much because I mean, it's not quite as technical as the cold press, but you can get colors, you can get
33:18
some fun things out of it as far as designs go. And so we have swirls of blues and purples and greens and teals throughout the house right now. So much fun. Do you give them as gifts at Christmas time? We haven't yet. They are very new starting out. So this has been the first year that they've really been interested in doing it. So we've done it a few times and
33:49
They like to take them for themselves, which I am fine with with those ones, because that's more of just having fun while learning how to do it. em But they have taken them to their friends and given them that way, not necessarily as like a birthday present or anything like that, but just an anytime gift.
34:12
That's fabulous. love it. Rainbow Swirl Soaps. have to try making some of those. Okay. And then I saw that you do a lot of bread baking and cooking from scratch. the kids involved in that too? They are. On my Facebook page, there's actually pictures of us making jam and breads and they love it. I make pickled green beans and
34:42
they go crazy for them. I have to keep those stocked pretty regularly. That's one of their absolute favorite snacks. Whenever I do breads, they are like, nope, you have to make this one for us. This isn't a selling one. You have to make this one for us. And I said, okay. So they really like the cinnamon loaf. like the garlic parmesan loaf. Those are their favorites. And then just regular
35:10
like sandwich style bread and they'll go through about a pint and a half of jam along with that and I'm like, okay guys, we need another snack.
35:26
Yes. I told this story on the podcast months ago. had made a bunch with, we canned a bunch of strawberry jam and I thought that we were out and uh my son who still lives with us had grabbed a jar out of the pantry because he knew where they were. They were staffed. And I still don't know where they are. I think there's four more jars. have to ask him where they are. But he was having toast and
35:53
I was totally fine with him finding the pint of strawberry jam. Yeah. Or half pint, the jelly jar size. Yes. And he, I went to do something, probably a podcast and I went to look for that strawberry jam in the fridge the next morning and uh there was no strawberry jam in the fridge. And I said, what happened to the jar you opened yesterday? And he said, I ate it yesterday. Yeah. I was like, you are an adult man child. Yep.
36:22
Absolutely. said, you ate an entire jar of strawberry jam on your toast. He said, yeah, it's really good. And I was like, yeah, I know. Wish I had some.
36:34
Yeah, same. I also enjoy it. That was a new one on me, but I have to ask him where they are because I don't think he's eaten the other four jars. If he has, he's in big trouble. Right. Yes, I turn around and the dilly beans and the jam go quick. And so I have to continuously be making those. Yeah. You make freezer jam, right?
37:01
I do both. The freezer jam I let the kids help with. It's a little easier process and so it's a good starting point for them. Okay, so when you make freezer jam, do you actually do that in jars or do you do it in like a plastic container so it's not as breakable? I do it in jars because we go through it really fast. Okay. And so I just do the wide mouth jars for uh
37:30
pretty much everything that has to do with um anything that'll go in the freezer. Those are the only ones that I use for that. And I think almost everything has been converted just to wide mouth at this point because I am doing soups and all of that. um But with those, I think I do usually about 10 at a time.
38:00
the kids will go through them within a month.
38:04
What's the age range on your kids again? So I have five kiddos. Four of them are girls between the ages of eight and 10. So I have a kiddo, our youngest just turned eight and then I have an eight and a half year old. And then we have a nine year old and a 10 year old. And then our son is 12.
38:26
Lots of drama. They all fight over who's helping and who's doing what. so everything takes a little bit longer, but they enjoy it a lot more. Yes. And you are making memories. Yes. uh I listened to another podcast on Monday mornings. It's called best to the nest BST to the NST. uh one of the there's two women.
38:56
One of the women is older, think she's 60. One of the women is younger and she's in her 40s. And the older woman has been going back to school. And she was talking about the memories that we make when we're children versus how we remember those memories when we're adults. And we actually, we actually like,
39:25
construct new things around the actual event that we're remembering. Yeah. It's really interesting. I wish I could say it better. But um the memories that kids make as children influence everything they do until the day that they die. Yes. So keep doing the things with your kids because you are building amazing groundwork for them to build on.
39:54
I know that whenever my first season hunting with my spouse and everything after we hadn't really got together and blended and everything like that, every single kiddo, plus my spouse and I, were all there whenever I shot my deer. And while it wasn't the biggest deer, it was a core memory for everyone. I'm pretty sure our son levitated up to where that deer was, because he...
40:22
I think even beat me there. And I had to keep telling him, you got to wait. We got to make sure that he is completely dispatched before you go up there because he will be mad. He will come at you with his antlers. so that was a core memory for all of them. And since then, it's kind of been tradition that we all go together regardless of who's hunting and not hunting yet. And so
40:52
Our son shot his deer and everyone was there. We all got to experience it with them. And so it's been a lot of core memories made.
41:07
I am sitting here just like stuck, like there's a sob in my chest regarding this because that's so good.
41:17
I would rather them be out in the woods and experiencing nature and playing in the dirt like we used to, than sitting on phones and tablets and nonsense inside or getting into trouble at school. A hundred and fifty thousand percent agree with you, Christine.
41:39
They always ask, what did you guys do as kids? And I was like, outside. That was it. We weren't allowed inside. Like in the summertime and stuff like that, your toys were outside.
41:51
Yeah, and it wasn't toys that were bought. was sticks and rocks and rain and mud. You had to go build a fort. You had to go ride your bikes. You had to go play catch or whatever. But all of it was done outside. You weren't allowed inside until it was time for dinner. The good old days. I miss those days so much. We don't even hardly have streetlights anymore. So there's no
42:21
time frame. It's just there. Yeah. Yeah. You are doing, you're doing it right.
42:30
And so we try to make sure that our kids are set up to succeed in life, matter what this world looks like.
42:39
You're making me want to go back and do it all over again. And I can't. I'm too old to have babies anymore. can't do it all over again.
42:49
That's why I like working in the medical field because I get to see babies and give them snuggles while they're in our clinic and then they go home. So it's like having them momentarily. Yeah. And the thing is that's awesome, except that I don't work in the medical field and none of my kids want babies. Yes. So I am out of the baby loop completely at this point.
43:16
And it's okay because the last time I held a baby, was like, I think I might be past this because I don't know how to hold a baby anymore. It's weird. It's like riding a bike. You do it enough and you know it all over again. Yep. I just have to cock the hip out and do the thing that I did for years with mine. Okay. So we are 43 minutes and 30 seconds. I would love to know where people can find you, Christine.
43:43
um So I am on Facebook. You can find me at Rustic Haven Homestead. It's got a cute picture of a coop and everything about us is on there. And then, yeah, just reach out, come find me.
44:00
Okay. And you said, so you do or you don't have a YouTube channel? I don't currently. My daughter is very forward on getting us to that point. She's 10 and she would love to be the star of that. Okay. Well, let me know when you have it and I will add it to the show notes. How's that? Perfect. That sounds amazing. Okay. As always, people can find me at atinyhomesteadpodcast.com. And if you would like to support
44:28
the podcast, can go to atinyhomestead.com slash support. Christine, I loved this conversation. I feel like we were kind of all over the place, but that's how it goes. And uh really glad to talk about hunting and the fact that you can eat cougar. didn't know that. That was amazing. And I hope that you have a wonderful rest of your week. Yes, you as well. All right. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye.