I have found that one of the biggest struggles since I started taking this whole homestead schtick seriously is finding the time to get homeschooling done. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way either. Many of you have told me time and again that you share with me in this struggle. […] Read more…
Today I’m going to show you how to organize your homestead by maintaining a Homestead Management Binder. I learned the hard way last year how chaotic an disorganized my home and homestead can be when I fail to keep to my schedule, take necessary notes, record expenses and yields (we didn’t record ANY milk yields […] Read more…
Despite my struggles with finding joy and simplicity on the homestead this year, I know deep down that the simple life can be exactly that… simple. I’ve tasted of the beauty, reward, and joy that comes out of working willingly with your hands and know that it can be recaptured and enjoyed again if I use the […] Read more…
Can I be honest with you? This past year has been one of the most difficult I can remember. No, there hasn’t been any deaths, or illness, or injuries, nor financial difficulties or anything like that. We’re warm & incredibly well fed. Our family got a little larger. We had bigger gardens, larger herds, a […] Read more…
| Cattle, homestead management, In the Barnyard, Jersey cattle, out and about
We have recently started up a small, raw milk dairy, weaned the calves and have moved to twice a day milking. I am expecting our third child (3 under 4) and was wondering about how I am going to manage to leave our place again. How do you balance being able to go to things […] Read more…
| frugal, homestead management, In the Home, keeper at home, natural health and beauty
What do you get when you mix…. a pile of this after it’s melted in a quart of hot water… a cup of this… a cup of that… dissolved in a few gallons of water, left to sit for a day, and then dump in a bottle of this and stir real well…. […] Read more…
While our home education program isn’t centered on teaching our children to feed themselves & live in a community responsibly, it does make up a pretty important part of it. What a blessing it is to have them all here with us every day so that while learning to feed ourselves and all the little details it entails that we […] Read more…
| Broiler Chickens, Chickens, composting, homestead management, In the Barnyard, In the Garden, In the Kitchen, Pigs
I’m a big stickler on everyone pulling their weight around here. There really “ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” I’m not saying that everyone does (or that even I always do.) But it’s the ideal. But in a perfect world everyone has their jobs and someone needs to take out the trash. Actually, […] Read more…
I am so excited to announce the launch of a new eBook by Susie Shock, The Homesteading Wife’s Christian Devotional! Whether you are a homesteader, or dream of becoming one, this book will help lay a foundation of biblical truths that just might help prepare your hearts and minds to what lies ahead. Homesteading […] Read more…
| 2014 Vegetable Garden, homemaking binder, homestead management, Seed Starting
So now that we’ve got our seeds all organized, Wait. You did organize your seeds, right? Of course you did. So now that the seeds are organized, and I can see just how very many I have to sow this year, I sure had better be organized with my planting efforts as well! Otherwise, I […] Read more…
Keeping an Annual Homestead Calendar has been an incredibly beneficial organizational tool for me as I attempt to manage our schedule a bit more efficiently. It makes this otherwise undisciplined person, well, slightly more disciplined. Helps me to get my ducks in a row, if you will. As I previously mentioned, having this list on […] Read more…
It was about 15 degrees outside today. And that was the high. And do you want to know what I spent the day doing? One of the most dreaded of the tasks I have to do…. sewing. I was refashioning jeans into skirts for my girls who have still been wearing their lightweight, summery, knit skirts […] Read more…