Lurking for 4 years... can you tell I'm an introvert?

Hi

I've been reading here for a little over four years, and now (finally!) have my first brooder full of 60 redbro chicks and 10 emdem goslings. I do have two fully grown, 2 yr old, emdems, but they have spent 3/4 of their lives with a flock on my friend's farm; they will be returning to us this summer, now that we have the space.

I am married and have five children, ages 7, 6, 5, 3 and 10 months- four boys and a baby girl. We are setting up our homestead by ripping apart a mobile home and turning it into a cabin, one room at a time, while we live in it. And yes, it is as chaotic as that seems. It's about half complete after just one season, which is pretty impressive given that I was building last year throughout my pregnancy. I stopped construction when I was 43 weeks pregnant. I have pics! I look like a lollipop with a saw. We're doing everything ourselves, which is exactly how I like it.

Also, this is our first year having a serious sustenance garden. We are going at our life full-on at this point. Can you tell?

We are hoping to add 50 heritage breed chickens- 25 standard and 25 bantams- in June. I want to keep some redbros for breeding and eggs, and the heritage breeds will be layers except for the roosters we eat. Next year, we're hoping to not order chicks, but to raise them from our flock. It is an ordeal to have chicks sent up here.

I am an artist by disposition and training. I also write and play ukulele, when I am not nursing my nursling (which is not very often...)- composing music as well as singing. I love building things, especially out of wood, and especially when they are useful things. I love to read. I love to learn, and cannot fathom a day without research, even when in the full swing of construction- I take at least a few breaks and then it's brain-filling time. I am an extreme introvert, just turned 34, feeling the pressure of getting my life underway already, and eager to do it well, which for me means in a way that brings about the most preferable circumstances that bring about the most enjoyment out of my life and that of my family.

We live on a farm with our friends who own it, surrounded by trees and valleys and mountains in the Yukon Territory of northern Canada. My plan is to keep a productive homestead while selling my art and books. Eventually, I'd like to sing publicly, but for now, I sing to my babies; I'm still way too shy to sing for others, and clearly I don't have the time anyway.

I've enjoyed this forum for years. Thanks for being here. I'm going to learn so much! I love it!