Setting Ourselves Up for Success in God’s Timing — Howard Homestead 2026

 This coming year’s theme here on the Howard Homestead is simple:

setting ourselves up for success by trusting God’s timing and learning from the past.

God willing, the days of putting the cart before the horse are behind us. We’ve made mistakes, we’ve stretched ourselves thin, and we’ve tried to grow faster than our foundation could hold. But this year? This year is about wisdom over hurry, structure over chaos, and stewardship over stress.

We’re learning that if we can’t properly care for what we have now—emotionally, financially, or physically—then “bigger” won’t fix anything. Sometimes the most faithful step forward is one that slows you down first.

We can always grow later.
But we must be steady and intentional today.

And that might mean scaling back for a season so we can prosper in the next.

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Garden Goals for the Year

Our garden plans are all about sustainable growth:

• Gradually adding raised beds as we can afford them
• Creating a better layout and increasing our variety of foods
• Selling any extra produce at our farm stand
• Dreaming of a greenhouse—possibly starting small to support the garden and farm stand

Every addition will be done at a pace that reflects where we are, not where we wish we were.

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Livestock Improvements

This year’s biggest work will be improving the livestock areas so we can care for our animals the right way.

Here’s what’s on the list:

General Improvements

• Move livestock areas farther back on the property
• Place pens closer together for convenience and safer management
• Add better drive‑up access for feed transportation
• Improve feed storage and access points
• Install upgraded feed bins accessible from outside the pens
• Weather‑proof, higher‑capacity water systems
• Better access points for every single pen

Chickens

• Reinforce and secure the coop run
• Protect them from predators
• Strengthen the structure for Michigan winds and heavy snow

Pigs

• Create more solid ground—no more never‑ending mud pit
• Build proper shelter to protect them from the elements

Goats

• A sturdier, safer play area

A temperature‑controlled shelter strong enough for whatever Michigan throws at us

Ducks & More

We’re hoping to finally begin the duck area, develop the creek, and also build a meat‑chicken tractor. We’d love to get a mobile electric livestock fence this year to help with rotational grazing and reduce feed costs.

All of this must be in place before we expand our flock and herd again—more goats, pigs, chickens, and eventually adding meat birds and ducks.

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Farm Stand & Homestead Projects

We’re hoping to upgrade our farm stand into a small self‑serve shed shop—so many exciting ideas brewing! Lotions are currently in the works, and of course our “leave one, take one” library will happen.

                 

Other seasonal dreams include:

• Adding another berry bush each year
• Continuing to grow our little orchard by adding a tree yearly
• Expanding our hunting land coverage by gradually adding trees
• Focusing on structure and landscaping across the whole property
• (God willing!) Finally getting our balcony and porch built

Indoor projects will likely wait until fall or be squeezed in between outdoor work.

And yes—there will be a huge barn sale this year, along with plenty of DIY crafting.

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Family Time & Adventures

We’re hoping for more family bonding around the pond again this year. Liam is campaigning for a water slide—so we’ll see what kind of magic Mom and Dad can pull together first, lol.

I’m excited to get started on his playground, too. That little boy is made for the outdoors, and he’s ready to run the land!

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Thank You for Following Our Journey

Stay tuned as the warm months arrive. There will be plenty of updates, plenty of chaos, and plenty of fun here at the Howard Homestead.

And we’ll be holding tightly to this verse as we work:

Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

“And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Cold Heart Dead of Winter

 

A Winter Not for the Faint of Heart

This winter has been brutal—the kind of season that feels pulled straight from old‑time Michigan weather tales. We’ve been hit with everything: dramatic temperature swings, pounding rains, snow that melts as fast as it falls, and winds that seem determined to rearrange our entire property.

Because of the warmer days mixed into the cold, the snow has melted quickly, leaving us with extremely high-water levels. Spring, at this rate, is going to be messy. Our property has transformed into a full‑blown swamp. The pond is overflowing, water is pooling everywhere, and the areas where the well was worked on—and where the power company buried the new lines—have turned into true quick‑mud.

From a distance, the ground looks solid. But step on it? Down you go. I found myself waist‑deep at one point and had to use a nearby pallet to pull myself out because no one could hear me. Even the port‑a‑potty guys have been skipping us because their trucks kept getting stuck. On the days they did come, they still needed to be pulled out. And of course, I nearly buried my Jeep in the same mess. There's just no avoiding it until the weather finally dries out what winter left behind.

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When Winter Isn’t Kind to Animals

Our animals have had their fair share of hardship, too. We lost two kittens that ran off, and heartbreakingly, one passed away for reasons we still don’t know. Only one of our kittens made it through the chaos.

The pig area has been a complete disaster. Honestly, when processing day came, it felt like a mercy for everyone involved. We learned a lot this season and will be making some much‑needed improvements once the warm weather arrives.

Water has been its own battle—frozen solid most days, except when it warms up just enough to pour rain on us again. A Catch‑22: rain hydrates the animals, but floods everything else.

This winter has tested us in ways we didn’t expect. The intense cold and harsh winds claimed the lives of all five of our goats, and our hearts are heavy. We’re grieving, but we’re also grateful for the joy they brought us and the memories we’ll always carry.

We also lost a large number of chickens to a predator, including our only rooster. This spring, we’ll need to rebuild our flock and find a new rooster. To add to the chaos, the net roofing over the coop run completely collapsed under the weather conditions.

Even our little egg stand didn’t survive the windstorms. It was blown across the property—along with our return‑carton tote, brick included. Not that it mattered much at that point; we had no eggs left anyway.

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A Blessing in the Storm

In the middle of all this, we are incredibly thankful to have finally moved into the new build. We hadn’t planned to stay in the campers for as long as we did, and things were getting dicey—financially and weather‑wise. Being indoors now is a blessing we don’t take lightly.

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Looking Ahead

We’re praying for an early spring that dries up the land and gives us a fresh start. Once the beautiful weather arrives, we’ll jump into:

• Landscaping projects
• Garden planning
• Rebuilding and improving the livestock areas
• And hopefully constructing a sturdier, better farm stand

I have high hopes for the stand this year. My husband is excited to get started on the landscaping, and—God willing—we’ll even get the balcony built.

Stay tuned… the fun is just getting started!