Personal stories and reflections from my home and heart.
No matter how tidy a housekeeper you are, chances are that one day you opened the door or doors to your pantry only to be greeted with a decidedly unpleasant odor. Maybe sickly, maybe tangy, or maybe just foul. It’s unusual, and definitely unwanted. All you care about now is getting rid of it. But … Read more
Root cellars might be old fashioned, but they still work wonderfully for storing food and other goods. This is because they maintain a generally constant, cool temperature and constant humidity level, both helping the gods kept in them to last longer than they would otherwise. This simple but highly effective method of preservation has been … Read more
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Unless you know where to dig! Much of the drinkable water in rural areas is pumped out of the ground. In our modern society, we use electricity to draw it up to the surface without a second thought. But what do we do when the power … Read more
Starting a homestead is a great goal – but if you’re just starting out, it’s really not possible to do so from scratch. While you can get by with just the basics, there are some homestead supply list items to always have on hand. Before embarking on this exciting new adventure for yourself, sit down … Read more
Cooking oil is a pantry staple that has far more uses than just frying up some delicious fried chicken. Both the versatility and long-shelf life of cooking oil make it a fantastic multi-use item for preppers and frugal homesteading folks alike. Pouring cooking oil down the drain can cause clogging either quickly or over time. … Read more
Here are 11 tips to being more prepared for whatever lies ahead in our economy.
Although the homestead lifestyle as a whole tends to embrace a more self-reliant, simpler existence, it does not automatically require you to remove all the fantastic technology that can make your life easier. Nor should it. Using modern appliances is a good idea. I am sure that very few people want to return to a … Read more
“Mommy, you tell me when you see a bad stranger, okay?” I laughed a little when I was 2 yr. old Jada said this to me one day while we were at the grocery store. I had just started warning my precious little girl about “mean” people in this world. If only we could simply … Read more
Ready to teach your little one numbers, but don’t even know where to start? Let me share with you what I have been doing to teach my little ones, and maybe you’ll find some inspiration. I am really big about teaching through play, so when it comes to lesson time I choose to pull out … Read more
When little Titus was 12 mos. old, he finally started signing to me! I was so excited when I saw his little hands form together to tell me “more”! Signing with a baby is so important to me. I taught signing to Jada and Titus as infants, and I plan on teaching baby Xia when … Read more
The other day, I was looking at some old pictures of my grandfather. He was one of the early pioneers who started a homestead on the Canadian prairies. Wow, it was a hard life for those early pioneers! Things were certainly different in those days. It is difficult to see how they managed to survive. … Read more
Deciding I wanted a lifestyle change late in life, I caught the off-grid living bug. Did I want to be self-sufficient? Well, I do not think I asked myself that question at the time. But I asked myself other, more practical ones, such as how much land do you need to be self-sufficient? For each … Read more
Well, it’s winter here in South Africa now and the temperatures are dropping to between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius on some days. You know what that means? It means warm clothes, tons of hot chocolate, and heaters are on – a lot! Now, last year we used halogen heaters; they’re relatively cheap and they … Read more
When I first got started homesteading, I had no idea how challenging it would be – or how rapidly our backyard garden and “just a few chickens” would grow into something that became a lifestyle and later, for us, a full-fledged business. Today, on my farm, we have several large gardens, a 30” x 96” … Read more
Are you new to your homeschooling journey and eager to start off on the right foot? Are you a seasoned homeschool parent who is always looking to improve your children’s education? Read on for a nearly exhaustive list of mistakes to avoid when homeschooling your children. I was homeschooled from birth until my high school … Read more
Homeschooling is one of the most rewarding experiences parents can have with their children. It is not an exact science, there is no one size fits all cloak that every homeschooling can slip on and do everything perfectly right from the start. No matter how well you have prepared to homeschool your child, placing too … Read more