Have you ever heard of Groopdealz.com? They are a daily deals site that specializes in boutique and handmade items. They have had some of the neatest items – from wall signs and decals to handmade jewelry, to lace tights for little girls. . . and today they’re featuring my jewelry.
The neat thing about Groopdealz.com is the way they have things set up. They use the concept of bulk buying so the customer can get a better deal. By selling at higher quantities, the sellers can then buy the supplies in bulk and also sell more than they might have been able to otherwise. It’s a win-win situation for both buyer and seller.
They’ve been great to work with, and I’ve been really excited about it. If you haven’t seen their site before, take a look!
Here are our two beehives. The one on the left is the hive Stephen picked up last week (our hive equipment, new bees). The one on the right is our main hive that we have had since last summer.
We moved the main hive Friday. We did have it behind our shed, and while the location wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t the best for the bees because it was too shady (which in turn encourages small hive beetles – a pest we’d rather avoid if possible). Since we placed the new hive in a more open location last week, we wanted to move the older hive to the new location as well.
We decided to go ahead and move it Friday morning. Stephen had the hard part of dragging the hive on a pallet. I had the scary task of steadying the hive. Even though it was strapped together, we didn’t want it to fall over. Once we got it to the new location, we picked it up and placed it on the supports. Stephen had told me it was heavy, but I was really surprised at the effort it took to lift it.
It didn’t help that we wanted to keep the hive as steady as possible, and that we could hear the humming of the bees inside. That was definitely unnerving. Normal, but still unsettling to be holding it.
It rained most of the day Friday, so the bees really didn’t come out much. Saturday, they definitely came out. Stephen placed a branch in front of the hive opening (as well as an entrance reducer) so that they would orient when they exited the hive and familiarize themselves with the new location. Then on Saturday he removed the branch and the entrance reducer.
We can see the new location of the beehives from the house, so we have really enjoyed watching them. They oriented (as we expected) pretty much all day. There was been a huge cloud of sorts around the hive entrance most of the day. This video clip shows how many bees were flying around the entrance – I was standing about 6 feet from the hive when I took it.
There were quite a few bees that went to the old hive location, so we really enjoyed observing them there too. We have a swarm lure back there (the small brown hive box in the pictures), and the bees were very curious about it.
You can see a drone (male bee) in the top left corner. Look how much bigger he is than the others. There were some really BIG drones flying around this box.
Even yesterday there were still quite a few bees at the swarm lure. Stephen’s Monday schedule is fairly unpredictable, so he’s hoping for an opening some time today to be able to go in the lure and check the bees in there. We’re hoping it is a new swarm, but with the timing, we’re thinking it’s just a remnant from the big hive.
Honeybees really are gentle creatures and generally only sting when provoked. I have to admit – it still took a lot of self-control for me to just stand there, even though Stephen was obviously a lot closer than I was.
I have teased Stephen so much lately that he is really getting me hooked on the bees, but it’s true. They are absolutely fascinating to watch, and I love being able to have them!
I hope everyone’s Sunday was wonderful. Ours was a bit different, but not bad. Church was great. Then we spent the afternoon at Stephen’s parents’ house. The evening service at church was great too.
I had to chuckle at the irony this morning though. We try really hard not to let Sunday mornings get too hectic around here, so we can prepare our hearts for worship. This morning was a bit crazier than usual because I had to get up and make rolls for dinner at Mom’s. I actually tried to start them last night but pregnancy brain kicked in and they didn’t get made – I got the bread machine plugged in and then promptly forgot about starting the dough. But that’s beside the point.
Because of extra food prep, this morning was a bit more hectic than usual. As we were driving to church, I thought that here it is the one day of the year we should be the most joyful – celebrating the resurrection of our Lord – when instead, we were rushing around more and getting frazzled easier. Figures.
It ended up being a good day though, despite the rough start. I’m so thankful for a Savior who chose to die for me anyway – when He didn’t have to – just so I could go to Heaven with Him. I sure don’t deserve it. . .
Moving the entrance reducer so the bees could get out after the trip home
Saturday Stephen went and picked up some new bees. We’re really excited. Our one hive has been doing amazingly well this year, and we estimate that there are close to 40 pounds of honey already in it. We won’t take the honey until at least June (don’t remember if he said June or July), so we’re pretty excited to see how much there will be by then.
We’re hoping this new hive does as well. It’s out in the open where we can watch it more than we can the other hive. The other hive is farther from the house, but we’re in the process of moving it to be with the other hive so we can have the hives all in one place.
Last summer’s storm brought down some of the trees you see that are down in the picture. We haven’t had much opportunity to work on cutting them up and moving them until recently because our chainsaw has been broken. Since they’re down though, it has made the perfect spot for us to keep the bees. And now that our chainsaw is fixed, hopefully we’ll be able to clear out the woods more this summer.
I don’t do the hive checks with Stephen, but sure do enjoy all the other benefits of keeping bees!
This morning I was working on some business things, and entering orders and other similar info into my tax document. It absolutely amazes me how busy I’ve been with jewelry lately – and just how much God is blessing my business.
It has been so much fun though, and I really do love it. That’s one reason my blog has been a bit quiet lately – a lot of my time has been devoted to jewelry making – and I don’t want to overwhelm this blog with posts about jewelry too often.
I’m thankful. God has been so good and has really been growing my business. I also have a huge project in the works and hope to be sharing more about that next week when it goes live.
After next week, a friend and I are hoping to share a booth at a craft festival. There’s one we’re thinking of, but we’ll see how that it works out whether or not we apply for it. It seems like most of the spring festivals/fairs/craft shows are in April and May, but I’m playing for a choir concert May 12th and want to do something later than that. There are so many events around here – it’s just a matter of finding one that’s not too far or has too high of an entrance fee.
Exciting stuff! It’s keeping me busy but I’m thankful for it!
Last Saturday we got quite the storm. It was one of the weirdest thunderstorms I’ve ever seen – there were several cells of severe weather inside it. We’d get hit with one, and it’d be over in less than 5 minutes. Then 20-30 minutes later, another would hit, and be over almost immediately.
One of the little storms sent hail. I’ve seen big hail before, but it’s been a very long time. We measured the bigger of these two hailstones at almost exactly 3 inches across. Amazing.
Our cars made it through the hail pretty safely, with only a few dents that weren’t too severe. When I drove my van yesterday though, I noticed many tiny little nicks in my windshield. I hope they don’t weaken it.
Today we’re under another tornado watch. After the tornadoes farther West yesterday from this storm, I hope we don’t get any!
About a week ago, I came across this post over at the Generation Cedar blog. I haven’t read much on the rest of the site, but thought the article on our perspective of children was interesting and thought-provoking.
My parents just left after visiting for a week. It was great. While they were here, my mom taught Samuel how to wash dishes. This is the conversation he and I had after dinner tonight.
Samuel: Mommy, I’m going to wash dishes for you EVERY DAY.
Me: I’m getting lazy not having to do it.
Samuel: Oh, no you’re not, Mama. I’m helping you so you don’t have to do it. Besides, it’s fun.
The part that has me really spoiled is that Mom also taught him to dry the dishes and put them away. I typically just let them dry in the drainer in the sink, but Samuel? Oh no. He has to dry each dish, climb up on the counter to put them in the cabinets, and then wipe the counters down after he’s done.
Here I was putting off teaching him because he couldn’t reach much and I didn’t think he was ready. Obviously I was wrong. The best part is my kitchen hasn’t been this clean in a long time, he’s loving keeping it that way, and I’m loving that he’s doing it FOR me – with a willing spirit.
He may not continue to be so willing to do the dishes, but I am certainly going to enjoy it while he is!
…yes, I really am pregnant. I’m just shy of 13 weeks and am due in October. We’ve known for quite a while but just didn’t say a lot until recently. Those who see me in person know, because I started showing pretty early, but we haven’t really made much of an official announcement.
We are thrilled that God has sent this new little one to us. I’m absolutely amazed that after our years of infertility, God continues to send us more blessings. What an honor. I am beyond excited.
We thought it would be fun to announce on April Fool’s Day – to see how many people believed us and how many didn’t. Honestly, it’s a bit of a letdown; it wasn’t quite as fun as I thought it would be. But that’s ok.
So there you go. It’s true. We’re expecting #4 this fall. God is so good.
I am happily married to an amazing husband and a stay-at-home mama to two boys and a girl, one on the way, and one in Heaven. We are a conservative Christian homeschooling family.
This blog is my thoughts and ramblings about life as I strive to be the woman God would have me to be.
II Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight
