March is coming in like a lamb this morning. Sun is streaming through the windows, I hear birds chirping, and I see the green tips of daffodils poking through the soil outside. Before the heady gardening month of April, we are challenging ourselves two ways in March.

Liquor Cabinet Challenge

I'm issuing our family (well, Alex and I) a new twist on a pantry challenge this March: drink only what is in the liquor cabinet as of today. Like January's pantry challenge, this one has two purposes: reduce grocery bills and cull the dozens of jars in the liquor cabinet, tucked into other cabinets and overflowing onto the counter. It really looks like we have a drinking problem around here!

Our count at the beginning of the month is as follows: 28 bottles and jars of strong drink. 10 of these are handmade infusions and liqueurs. All of the handmade ones are unlabeled and a few unidentified. We'll be making some mystery cocktails!

We will not buy beer or wine for home consumption, as we have 2 kegs of home brew, many bottles of miscellaneous beer, seven liters of hard cider and several bottles of wine on hand. Non alcoholic mixers may be purchased during the month. Restaurant drinks are not included in the challenge.

Homestead Log

When we travel and hike, I always bring along my field log. I record wildlife species, the weather, and locations. Initially a project for a high school class, I have been keeping such logs for over a decade. They are a fantastic reference of places we've been and things we've seen.

I pledge during March to begin the same type of record keeping for our homesteading activities. I bought a new Moleskine notebook in which to record a daily log of the planting, harvest, canning, pressing, wood chopping, travel and events of our lives. I hope this will become a useful planning reference in years to come.

What are your plans for March? How are you challenging yourself?