Lots is happening on the farmstead as we move into the Autumn months, as there is so much preparation to be done before Winter comes. Being that we where unable to find a new home for the end of season we are staying another year.  We had many people ask to cut our fields but have found that a persons word isn't much around here as they still need to be done, so we have decided to do them ourselves...well cut them that is.  We have plans to move our garden to the larger hay field behind the house in order to keep a better eye on things and I plan on putting fencing around it to keep the night critters from helping them selves...those deer really like my kohl-Rabi and brussel sprouts.  The fields all need to be ripped, and worked before Winter comes and I need to get my garlic garden ready within the next few weeks.  We have decided to change some of our raised beds in the yard and build coops for the bunnies out back of the barn so they have more room to run and play.  In the kitchen I, myself have been canning up a storm and am awaiting next week when I will travel 3 hours just to pick up all my whole sale items we will require for the winter and spring season, such as flour and oats. 
I have made an appointment to get our last two pigs slaughtered before the season ends, I was going to keep them over the Winter but have decided that I will just keep my poultry and bunnies over the Winter season and start fresh next year.  I also learned that now all pigs in Ontario have to be tagged or tattooed, so I have also registered for that! 
With so much more to learn the days never get dull!  I'll be back soon to get into more detail about raising our meat bunnies, but must get back to my kitchen as I have lots of cooking to do in order to stock the shelves for all our growing children. :) Jenn

From the time I was a young girl I always knew I wanted to have a big family. When anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell them a Mother and a Teacher. As of today, you could say that I have accomplished my goal! I am a mother to eight beautiful children, and I am their teacher, their nurse, their friend...oh the list goes on and on. When people see me now they always shake their heads and say you know there are ways to prevent that..it just burns my bottom to hear that from anyone. I always wanted a big family and that is what I have been blessed with! Now a days people fear things that are out of the ordinary, a family now a days consists of 1-4 children! So when we go to the local Wal-Mart to go shoe shopping or pick up a few clothing items we watch people count our children as we pass. To us we find it quite amusing, especially when they ask if they are all ours, how we manage or did I have them all myself :)
I honestly don't understand why people would ask how we manage, it's actually very simple. If you can raise two children you can raise eight!  It's all about routine, I myself am a charts and list person and well honestly my hubby is anti-charts but we have made it work. When it comes to food, well we could feed an army....oh wait that's what it feels like I do daily. Before moving to the country I depended on the local farmers market for produce and hit all the sales at the grocery store down the street.  Now that we raise our own animals for meat and grow our own vegetables it is a lot easier, although we do depend on our local farmers when we loose a crop here and there.  We freeze our meat and vegetables, make homemade bread and goodies and can our food. I buy our flour, rice, oats, and sugar in bulk and we purchase four to eight 4 litre bags of milk a week.
Currently we rent our homestead so we run hydro, which I would love to get rid of but before I do I must learn how to store meat without a freezer or in our case five freezers and two fridges.  Also I am without a cold cellar which I am hoping to have one day but until that day comes I store items in a fridge! 
On a fixed income we are able to feed and clothe our family, take care of our animals and live happily. Sure it's a lot of work and there are days when we would love to sleep in but homesteading for us and our children is relaxing and rewarding!