DIY craft I am a lover of crafting! DIY projects are my jam - I love anything from woodworking to sewing and everything in-between! Unfortunately, I don't get around to doing them as often as I would like. Do you ever feel that way? That you don't have enough time to do the things you love? I hear it gets worse the older you get and the more kids you have.... sounds like I am probably running out of luck, darn it. My favorite part of this project (or any sewing project for that matter) is fabric shopping. For the most part, there is ... continue reading...
ABC’s … its easy as 123 – DIY craft
10 gift ideas that aren’t gift cards
I can't believe the holidays are here and the year is almost over. Christmas is right around the corner! Have you started figuring out gift ideas for your loved ones? Maybe you are way ahead of the game and already purchased all of your gifts on Black Friday. If so, good for you! Having grown up 45-60 minutes away from town, Black Friday shopping was not a thing my family did. Instead of shopping in the stores, we like the cyber Monday deals. Not only for the discounts, but also because we can stay home in our Pj's and sip our hot cocoa. My ... continue reading...
How to make and store breakfast burritos
Breakfast Burritos If you like to meal prep then this breakfast is for you! Or if you are like me and SLEEP is extremely important, then you must try this money saving, time saving, and delicious breakfast trick! Breakfast burritos are a must in our house. I am sure most people can relate with the juggling of schedules that breakfast is a tricky meal to make. I roll out of bed and get ready for work just in time to leave ... but I never calculate time for breakfast. Life is hard - but here is a trick to making it easier! We have all ... continue reading...
How to freeze fresh zucchini
Zucchini is one of those plants that offers more than I want sometimes. Do you ever feel that way? Like you just have way too much that you don't know how to use it all before it goes bad? You could take it to your neighbors but they just gave you some last week. So that's probably not a good idea. You could try to sell it at a farmers market or fruit and veggie stand but that could be hit or miss unless you have a good relationship with the local fruit/veggie stand owner. Or you can figure out ways to preserve it for future use! One of my ... continue reading...
3 things you need to know before you start homesteading
Ten years ago I wouldn't have believed it if you had told me I would be a "homesteader". Then I married a farmer and discovered a whole new life and then, badda bing, I developed a whole different set of dreams for my life. As a teenager I was lucky enough to spend two months in Hawaii studying permaculture. Combine that with my dad's love for plants and the fact that I married someone who grows things for a living and you come out with a pretty obsessed gardener. So it started out with gardening and then morphed into other areas. My dad ... continue reading...
Strawberry Jam with no pectin
Strawberry jam is just the best, isn't it? I love having fresh strawberry at the beginning of the season, to put on toast, waffles, ice cream, oatmeal .... mmmmm. As a strawberry jam lover, I have tried my fair share of strawberry jam recipes. Each one is a little different. I actually make a few different kinds each year to use for different things. Farmer loves the full sugar ones, I grew up with the low sugar ones because my mom is a diabetic, and on some things I love the no sugar kinds because of how fresh they taste. I also try to be ... continue reading...
I’m a Mormon!
Religion can sometimes be a tricky subject. Some people get uncomfortable talking about it. Some people go door to door sharing their religion. Some people pretend it doesn't exist. Some people like to try all different religions. When it comes to religion for me, I know where I stand. I never went door to door sharing what I know, and I try not to make people feel uncomfortable, but I do like to share my beliefs when I get the chance. I love volunteering at my church to teach the young kids. I also like to hear what other people believe. I ... continue reading...
How to grow a garden for profit
I have always loved growing a garden to feed my family, but it wasn't until five years ago that I decided I wanted to try and make a little extra money from my passion. To be totally honest, it wasn't really about making money, it was more about not letting so much go to waste. I hated seeing the extra produce that I couldn't eat or preserve in time, just get tossed on the compost pile to rot. If I was going to work so hard to grow it, I wanted it to at least get used! So I started selling my extra produce, and I quickly saw how fun it was ... continue reading...
How to switch to organic gardening
When it comes right down to it, I am not crazy obsessed with being "organic". Here is what happened to me... I hate bugs in my garden, and I hate weeds. I WANT OH SO BAD to spray them all with chemicals and be done with them, but when I start to even come close to spraying that stuff on my garden, inevitably one thing always happens. One of my beautiful and tiny little kiddos goes over and plucks a fresh strawberry or pepper or carrot from it's home and straight into their mouth it goes. Then I think to myself, how am I supposed to spray ... continue reading...
Start your own heirloom seed vault
Seed vaults are one of those things I have wanted to start for a long long time. I know how important it is to know how to save your own seeds, and I also understand how valuable an heirloom seed vault would be in an emergency situation. I mean what would you do if you couldn't go to the grocery store for food? Well, you would need to provide your own, right? Now, I don't consider myself a "prepper" exactly. I certainly classify myself as a homesteader, and one of my main homesteading goals is being more self sufficient, but I think I am too ... continue reading...
How to plan a no-maintenance garden
A "no-maintenance" garden is really all about the planning. There are several key things that you must do in the beginning of the season, that will greatly affect your garden for the whole year. It took me almost ten years to honestly convince myself that if I didn't buck up and do these things early on, the rest of the season would be spent fighting the weeds and the watering. Not to mention, facing a lesser harvest. This list is full of gardening master secrets that will make or break your no-maintenance garden goals. Your neighbors will ... continue reading...
3 big composting mistakes
I used to think composting was this complicated and elaborate process, that would only be worth it if I did it exactly perfect. Well, let me tell you that is completely wrong. In fact, it is pretty darn far in the opposite direction. I would imagine there are some of you out there who feel the same way I did, and might be a little nervous to start because you are afraid you will mess it up. Or maybe you are anxious to start, and are just looking to skip over the trial and error period and straight to the black gold. Either way, I'd ... continue reading...
The 5 things every beginning homesteader needs
Homesteading is a topic that covers a HUGE variety of things, methods, ideas, and even lifestyles. It is defined as : "A lifestyle of self-sufficiency, characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale." Regardless of the diversity, I firmly believe there are a few things that every beginning homesteader needs. My opinion on these things is because of years of my own experiences ... continue reading...
How to get free seed catalogs
I will warn you up front that this won't be a very long post. That is only because getting free seed catalogs is so easy. Seed companies are actually looking for people to send their catalogs too. The more people that get their catalogs, the more people buy their seeds. But you don't just want ONE seed catalog .... nooo .... you want lots and lots of seed catalogs, so you can lay them out nice and look through them all day long while it snows outside. You want to be able to see every single kind of tomato on the planet before you pick ... continue reading...
10 brilliant ways to actually keep your new years resolutions this year
New Years is just around the corner people! Not even the corner, it's like knocking on the door right... freaking... now. And with that comes new years resolutions. My dad is big on goals. Every year growing up I had to sit on the couch with my family and come up with things that I wanted to do better. As a kid it was kind of fun. As a teenager it was the worst thing ever. And as an adult, I sometimes wish every day would be New Years because I have so many things I feel like I am falling short at. Not to be a total downer or anything, it's ... continue reading...
10 steps to start homesteading, on the cheap
It always confuses me when people talk about homesteading being an expensive hobby. First off, one of the reasons Farmer and I started homesteading was to SAVE money. And second, it's hard for me to think of homesteading as a hobby. Does anyone just homestead in their free time? I don't know anyone that does. Everyone I know homesteads as a lifestyle, not as a game to play on the side. Now on the other hand, yes I can see how certain homesteading practices can be expensive to get started. In some instances solar is very expensive. Buying ... continue reading...
How to make your own organic grape juice
Organic is one of those things that I can't decide how I feel about it. Maybe it is because I have known people who cheat the system and sell things as "organic" when it's not really true. Maybe it's because I don't want to have to commit to all organic and sometimes I feel like it is all or nothing. Or maybe it's because I have a few friends and family who are openly against it. But when it comes right down to it, I almost always go with the organic option when I have a choice in front of me. Currently my garden is 100% organic. I make my ... continue reading...
Totally awesome and hilarious gifts for the true homesteader
Alright, with Christmas right around the corner I had to start shopping sometime! I do tend to push shopping back for as long as I can, but one year it actually got to within 3 days of Christmas before I had anything purchased. Needless to say, that was a pretty stressful one. I won't do that again, I swear! So I went looking around on Amazon and started searching for awesome homesteading gifts, because yes, that is what I love. And holy cow, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff they have on there! So I couldn't help it. I HAD to ... continue reading...
How to get rid of fruit flies naturally
Every fall, as we near the end of canning season, my house seems to fill itself with fruit flies. Yes, it is entirely my own fault because I always leave the apples, and the onions, and the potatoes, and the pears, and everything else out on the counter or the table so that we can grab and snack on them whenever we choose. However, it is still a problem when the flies arrive. Many years ago, my wonderful mommy showed me the simplest trick to getting rid of them naturally. It takes 2 minutes to put together and next thing you know, your flies ... continue reading...
How to move your favorite tomato plant indoors for the winter
With the first frost quickly approaching, it's hard not to worry about how much longer we will have fresh tomatoes in the garden. In just a few short weeks we will be waking up to frost on the grass and dead tomato plants. But before everything dies, there is one thing you can do to fix that problem. Something that will make it possible for you to enjoy fresh garden tomatoes through the winter too. You can move your favorite tomato plant inside before it freezes. Now let me tell you, transplanting a full grown tomato plant is next to ... continue reading...
