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EPHESIANS 3:20-21
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Snowy Homestead!

1/26/2022

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Snow came to the Homestead late this year. We didn't get our usual amount in November in December, but January is sure making up for it! And it has been very cold as well. 

Dealing with the bitter cold can be challenging when raising animals. You have to make sure you're on top of getting eggs from the chickens. As you can see from the picture of the egg I'm holding, it doesn't take long for them to freeze and crack when its in the single digits! I went out late in the evening a couple weeks ago and had to throw away a half dozen frozen eggs. 

Frozen water is also an issue. Below is a video I did on how we deal with frozen water issues here at the Homestead. When you have chickens, rabbits, sheep and goats, water is a big issue. 

I invested in a new snow plow for my truck and it has been amazing. For those of you who don't know, I totaled my 2005 Toyota Tacoma last spring. I hit a deer on the highway. I had a smaller plow that I had for the Tacoma that had been awesome over the past 6 years. 

After searching for a truck for over a month after my truck was totaled, I purchased a 2010 Nissan Titan off of a private seller. It was a good deal, but the plow off my Tacoma was too small for the Titan. So I had to invest in a new plow. I went with a Snow Dogg. I have been very happy with it. There is a huge difference plowing with a full sized truck and plow. I will be doing a video review on the plow this weekend. 

On another note, I'm getting over my second bout of Covid. The first time I got it back in May of 2021, it was rough. I don't ever remember being that sick in my life. It put me down for 9 days and took a couple months to fully recover. 

This last bout wasn't near as bad. Basically like a bad cold. I'm still dealing with the cough, but the worst was losing my taste and smell for the second time. I got it back after about a week, but that is horrible! 

Janel and I both got it twice. The good thing is it got us to concentrate more on our health. One of the reasons we wanted to get into modern homesteading was to raise a lot of our own food. We want to raise and grow a good portion of our vegetables and meat. Knowing how your food is raised/grown is priceless. There is nothing better than eating food that you raised. 

Including more fruits and vegetables in our diet is something we have really started to do and I have noticed the difference quickly. I've already dropped a few pounds (my goal is 25 lbs) and I just feel better. It's amazing what a small change can do. 

Finally, we are looking forward to spring as we have some excited projects here at the Homestead. Janel is already getting into gardening mode. I love the garden. We are expanding it this year for a couple reasons. First, we love gardening! Secondly, we want to give a bunch away this year to some who may not be able to garden or have the space we have. 

I will be finally fencing in all my corn. The deer have totally destroyed it every year for the past few years. I'm done with that. We fenced in all of our garden boxes (see video below) and it kept out the deer this year. But any of our gardens outside our fenced in area get hammered by the deer and rabbits. 

Thanks for checking in and reading our latest blog. Check out the videos below. 

Stay warm and God bless!  -Steve

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Mice Problem Solved! (A Cook Family Homestead Vlog)

1/3/2022

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Link to product in video - Click HERE. 
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Welcome 2022!

1/2/2022

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Well, 2022 has arrived here at the Homestead! I always get excited when the new year rolls around. I love goal setting. I always have. Not just for the new year, but in most everything I do. 2022 is no different!

​Janel and I actually accomplished more in 2021 than we set out to do. We have scaled back the projects for 2022, but we are looking forward to this year. 


We spent New Years Eve at home with the family. We made ribs (see the video below) and watched movies. I do not miss going out in the least. Give me a quiet evening at home with my family any day of the week. I have grown into a serious homebody! 

On another note....I need to quit eating. I have been on a serious eating binge for about a month. The holidays have really put a hurting on me! Janel and I are planning to get back on track this month. It's so hard with all the Christmas parties and family gatherings, as there is always a ton of food. I definitely put on 5-10 pounds. Easy to put on, hard to take off the older I get. 

So what are our plans in 2022?

First and foremost, we want to give/serve more. Both financially and of our time. We know so many people who are hurting and going through tough times. Whether it be relationships or finances, we see a lot of hurt, and we want to come alongside more people. We want to serve our King more faithfully. 

We are also planning a few smaller scale outdoor projects. We took a lot on in 2021 (and got it done!). This year we plan to add more pasture, add a large shed, redo our back deck and build a run in for more sheep this year. 

Our online store is almost a reality! Janel and Abby will be running our store. We should have it open in the next month or so. It will involve a new design of our website, both an upgrade and to be able to accept payments. To start, there will be a few items on it, but the plan is to grow it and expand into an Etsy store as well. We will eventually have a ton of products, both homemade and other. 

Expanding the fenced in portion of our garden and adding some more garden boxes is another goal for this year. We did a ton last year. We want to use our garden as an outreach as well. We raised a ton of food last year. A ton! This year we want to do more. Not only harvest a ton, but to give away a lot as well. We also want to start doing our own seeds. It will be a new thing for us as we usually buy all our seeds. 

Breeding and growing our animals here at the Homestead will be a priority as well. We are planning to hatch more chickens, raise some more meat chickens and grow our flock of sheep and herd of goats. This is one of my passions. I am excited to start lambing. I'm also planning on selling lamb meat. I'm not sure how that will work as I'm still in the planning process. 

Finally, please pray for us. We have been abundantly blessed. The Most High God has given us the desires or our hearts. Pray for health. Pray for guidance. Pray for strength. 

And let us pray for you! If you have any requests, please let us know! It would be an honor for us to pray for you! 

Thanks for following us on our journey and God bless!  -Steve

Check out our latest videos below! 


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    Authors:

    Stephen and Janel Cook from The Cook Family Homestead

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Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.


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