• DIY Chili Seasoning and Heartburn Relief

    January 9, 2021
    I received this product for for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    Chili. Is there any greater comfort food? It is warm and inviting. It’s versatile. You can add cheese to your bowl. Crackers. Peanut Butter sandwiches. Chili is just so good.

    One of my FAVORITE ways to make any food healthier is to make my own spice mixes. When you buy the spice packets from the grocery store, you are also buying a LOT of sodium and other ingredients that you don’t need in your body. By making your own spice mixes, you get to control how much salt you are consuming. You also can control the amount of spice– making your dish more comfortable for you to eat if you need to. Or, making it so spicy that underneath your eyes starts sweating. It’s up to you.

    Another hot tip for avoiding the digestive discomfort that comes with beans is to use dried beans. If you soak your dried beans overnight and prepare them properly, much of the gas and discomfort that many experience can be lessened significantly. Moving on to the Chili Seasoning Recipe!

    You can add more cayenne pepper, or none at all. You can add less chili powder or more. You can also completely eliminate the salt if you need to. It is so versatile. Making my own spice mixes has been the easiest way to make our meals healthier. It also saves a lot of money and tastes much better!

    Unfortunately, Chili also has the side effect of heartburn. I have suffered tremendously from heartburn since having my oldest child. But, I LOVE spicy and acidic foods. I just wish they loved me back. That is where Boiron Acidil Meltaway Tablets come in to play. Boiron Acidil is a homeopathic medicine that is made up of plant-based active ingredients that have been sustainably sourced. It relieves occasional heartburn, acid indigestion, upset stomach, and bloating.* What I love about Acidil is that I just dissolve the tabs underneath my tongue. There is no flavor and I don’t have to take it with water. They ACTUALLY WORK. You can even take it before a meal and can be used by children who are 12 and older. The best part– there are no known drug interactions!

    If you suffer from heartburn, you KNOW how miserable it can be. I love that I have found a homeopathic medicine that works so well for me. I can enjoy the comfort food without the discomfort! You can buy it at Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods, Walgreens, RiteAid, Vitamin Shoppe, and online at Amazon.

    I have been a big fan of Boiron products for YEARS. You can download the Boiron Medicine Finder app and search the symptoms that you are experiencing and find the homeopathic that is best. Here is a screen shot for you to see what the home page looks like.

    Are you ready for even more fun? I get to give a great prize to you! One winner will receive a box of Acidil Meltaway Tablets, a Boiron apron, and an Acidil silicone spoon.

    Enter the Giveaway HERE!

    *Claims based on traditional homeopathic practice, not accepted medical evidence. Not FDA evaluated.

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  • Catching Up

    January 5, 2021

    I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I feel so blessed entering this year.

    Scott had two blissful weeks off, and it was so nice to have time together. I still had to work, but it was SO nice to not be passing ships. We got projects done, baked a lot of cookies, and set goals for this year. We also read a lot.

    I have been pretty quiet on here. I have just been keeping my head down and working my way through each day. I felt like I was drowning by early December. The break from school and our usual routine was so good for my soul. My cup went from bone dry to overflowing.

    I shared in November that we got our first egg. We are currently getting anywhere from 7 to 11 eggs per day! Our Easter Egger hens started laying, which was basically the most exciting thing ever. Harper, our little helper, has always wanted to help collect eggs. Now, she won’t pick them up if they aren’t green or blue. ha!

    There is an egg brand that sells a carton of eggs these colors for EIGHT DOLLARS! Just because ONE blue or green egg will be inside. I think we may sell a few cartons soon, but certainly not for that price. We want to be able to build a better run for the chickens, and that would help us save up for it.

    The weight of the snow and ice has the top “roof” of chicken wire collapsing. We never expected it to last, but we were “building a parachute on the way down” (as Jill Winger says) and did what we were able to at the time. It’s been a lot of fun to learn.

    We are back at homeschooling, and going to celebrate our HUNDREDTH day of school next week. We are still trucking along with our ABEKA curriculum. I am going to be doing something different for one of the girls next year to help meet her needs better. I’m really excited about it.

    We are way ahead of schedule, which will be PERFECT for gardening season. Most of our seeds are ordered and ready to be started in the next few months. If you start seeds, I suggest ordering ASAP. Some companies have had to put a hold on orders to catch up. Many varieties are already selling out.

    We have challenged ourselves to spend 1000 hours outside this year. That averages out to almost three hours a day outside. It’s harder on the bitter cold and boiling hot days. We hope to camp much more this year, which will certainly pad our hours. Addi said she hopes we can camp in three states that we’ve never camped in before. I hope so, too, kid.

    Also, I read a devotion to the girls each day at lunch time. We are just days away from finishing Indescribable. It’s on sale right now. I learned so much from it, and the kids really enjoyed it. This one has been suggested to me, and I think I’m going to order it. Also, this one for the New Testament. We will be able to dig in so much deeper to Scripture with this one. I’m also thinking about ordering this book for myself.

    I love a new year (new month, new week, etc.) I am always grateful for the fresh start. Happy 2021!

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  • Creating Cozy

    December 15, 2020

    I am sure I’m not alone when I say that I am lacking inspiration. I am lacking motivation. This year has been hard and weird.

    Our family has had so many fun things happen this year– hello chickens and eggs and gardening– but, it has still been difficult. Many of our favorite things were cancelled. We are constantly having to pivot and switch the way that we can operate at work, and that is starting to feel overwhelming. (I am so grateful that I still get to work, so please don’t misunderstand me.) Dealing with angry and unkind people is wearing on me.

    I am so thankful for our home. Our hiding place. The place where I can snuggle into a couch or the bed and read a book. I can dig into my Bible and be reminded of the promises that God has made.

    I am just craving cozy. Candle light and twinkle lights. Soft blankets. Snuggles and good books. I just finished this and really enjoyed it… if you needed a recommendation.

    Does this happen to you? The night comes earlier every day. It starts to feel depressing, so we fill the darkness with flickering lights. We grasp for anything that feels comforting and warm.

    So, that is what we do. We hold tight to each other. We snuggle up close and read books, listen to music, and watch movies. Our home is illuminated by Christmas lights and flickering candles. Yes, things can still be hard/sad/frustrating, but we get to create the cozy and safety in our homes. Homemaking is such a gift.

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  • Worth Documenting

    November 19, 2020

    Some of your are so invested in this with us. I went out to the coop today to open the door. We have very strong winds today, and the coop door had blown shut. I opened it and stepped inside. One of the roosters was in the nesting boxes and I was so distracted that I nearly stepped on our very first egg. I looked down after he hopped out of the box and there was an egg right next to my boot.

    It had been there for a while, so I am not sure who laid it. It’s all scratched up from chicken feet stepping on it. I asked them who did it, but would you believe those chickens didn’t answer me? We’ve had our oldest chickens for 28 weeks. We’ve all celebrated our egg. It’s a big bright spot since we lost another chicken. Quite literally. We have no idea where she went and there has been no sign of her since Sunday. Poor girl.

    I also go a surprise second shipment of garlic, which I did not order. I e-mailed the company right away, and they generously told me to keep it. MORE garlic next year? Yes, please.

    I hope that you are finding tiny and large joys sprinkled throughout your days. These times are difficult for all of us. Our state has gone back in tiers, which is overwhelming. We are once again having to pivot at work and the way we are able to function to serve the public. I’m thankful it’s not another stay-at-home order.. yet. I’m not losing any hours.. yet. I’m thankful for my job. I am thankful for Scott’s job and the overtime he is still able to get. We are truly blessed.

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  • Garlic and More Garlic

    November 17, 2020

    I love garlic. Do you love garlic? My mom always started most meals with garlic sautéed in olive oil. I would rush into the kitchen asking what she was cooking because it “smells so good!” She would always laugh and say… garlic.. You have to at least triple the amount of garlic that each recipe calls for. At least. It delicious and it’s also really good for you. (Cut it up and let it sit for about 15 minutes before cooking to really help develop the allium in it!)

    Last month, we planted 25 garlic plants. For those who don’t know, you plant a clove from certain bulbs of garlic. You can’t just plant garlic from the grocery store though. We instantly wished that we had ordered more, but most seed stores that I knew of were completely out of garlic.

    I was watching Jill Winger’s video on garlic, and she mentioned where she had purchased hers from. I quickly searched for Filaree Garlic Farm and was able to order another pound of garlic to plant. What you see in the picture above is one pound of garlic. It ended up being 33 cloves that I planted! That means we will hopefully be harvesting 58 bulbs of garlic next year! Both varieties that we planted are stiffneck varieties. We planted music first and this batch was german white.

    I would really be happy filling this entire 4′ X 12′ raised bed with garlic. It stores well, and we definitely wouldn’t let it go to waste. It felt really good to be digging in the soil again– though very cold. I need to get some gloves that work for farm life, I suppose. Any recommendations?

    Yesterday was such a fun mail day. The garlic came (incredibly fast, I might add) along with the homestead planner that I’ve been chomping at the bit to have in my hands. It’s perfect! Our big seed catalog that I preordered came over the weekend, and we had a blast marking up all that we hope to plant next year or farther down the road. We are officially expanding our garden next year, quite significantly, and I am SO excited for it all!

    We are blessed. We are so, so blessed that God allowed us to move into this home at the perfect time.

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  • The Perfect Pair Holiday Market

    November 11, 2020

    Small businesses have always meant a lot to me. I prefer to shop with them whenever possible. The Perfect Pair is one of my favorite small businesses in Central Illinois. It’s a decent drive for me, so I don’t get to go in person as often as I’d like– which would be daily if I could.

    Photo used with permission

    I am so excited that they are currently doing an ONLINE holiday market! This pandemic has been HARD on small businesses. Especially in our state where the restrictions have remained tight and are only getting tighter. I wanted to share the link with you so that you can shop the holday market.

    If you are local, definitely stop in and check them out. They are having an in person market that starts tomorrow. Be sure to get a coffee, chai, or pastry from the 121 Coffee Run! Yum!

    What I love about the perfect pear is that there is something for everyone. Crusty old antiques are my favorites. What better things to fill a 150 year old farmhouse with?! There are TONS of hand-made goods. Holiday decorations galore. Lots of cute clothes from boutique stores. Need to get your hair done? They have a salon. There are also so many yummy foods to choose from. Furniture, candles, books, old window frames… You name it, and they have it. I could spend an entire day browsing through the warehouse.

    If you are Christmas shopping, please check out their website! There are items in every price range. The owners are such kind people, and knowing that you could support them through the end of a really hard year means everything.

    Be sure to like their facebook page to stay up to date on what’s happening! You can also find them on instagram.

    Happy shopping!

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  • Scenes from the Homestead // 2

    November 9, 2020

    Welcome back to the homestead.

    It has been unseasonably warm here. We’ve taken advantage of that to get some projects done without freezing. The only downside to unseasonably warm temperatures is that all of our garlic sprouted more than we expected it to at this point. I am hoping it will be fine through the winter.

    We have a portion of the yard that is full of various flowers. There are also TONS of Rose of Sharon growing in there. The ideal time to transplant them is November-March when it’s not TOO cold. We dug up some of the smaller ones and made a “barrier” along the road. We were going to move the big ones, but we seriously underestimated their root system. Hopefully the small plants will take and grow really well now that they have more room. We spaced them 12 feet apart and put black mulch around the base. If it all works well, they will be beautiful in the Spring!

    Our hens are still not laying. There is not enough sunlight each day for them to really produce well, which I expected. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed. We did get a light put in the coop and hope that it will help move things along. We may need a second one. They are still entertaining. The roosters crow all day long.

    Now that the weather has cooled off, I have been baking again. Breads and pizza dough have been the biggest products of the kitchen. Since I make most things from scratch, I get a 25 pound bag of flour and keep it in a food grade bucket with a gamma lid. I do the same with sugar. I HIGHLY recommend this if you also keep a lot of flour on hand.

    I canned a bunch of pears that we got in our Misfits Market box and from a local lady. They are SO good. I have to work through my thoughts of not wanting to eat the food that I worked so hard for. It feels good to have it on the shelf, but is silly to just stare at it. I think many home-canners go through that in the beginning. This book has almost every recipe you could imagine for canning.

    It’s a slower time around here outside of the kitchen. Seed catalogs will be coming in the next month or two. Our homestead planner got lost in the mail, so we are awaiting that still. This planning phase feels so frustrating. We want to DO. But, we want to be prepared. We want to be wise with our garden space and gain as much knowledge for growing what will be most beneficial for our family. We learned a lot this year, and are both really excited for next growing season. The kids have even asked if they can have their own small garden to tend.

    I hope you are all well. This cold and flu season feels especially hard. Hang in there.

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  • Free Thanksgiving Meal with Ibotta

    November 5, 2020

    Hi, friends! I wanted to share this incredible deal with you! If you don’t have the Ibotta app, you need to download it first! This is such a great deal, and is in no way sponsored. If you use my code or link, I do get a bonus, but so do you!

    Once you have the app downloaded, you can load all of these deals for Walmart. Be sure to load your coupons before heading to the store!

    Here is what you can get:

    3 pound butterball turkey breast roast (or whole turkey)
    10.5 oz can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
    2 liter of coca cola
    2.8 oz canister of french’s original crispy fried onions
    6 oz box great value flavored stuffing mix
    8 oz idahoan mashed potatoes
    Mccormick gravy packet
    14 oz can cranberry sauce
    12 oz frozen bag great value fine green beans

    You purchase all of these items up front. Then, you will scan your receipt and the cash back will be loaded to your account. You can “cash out” with paypal or gift cards of your choice.

    I’ve been using Ibotta for a couple of years and have already earned over $500 cash back! They often have free after cash back deals, but they are often difficult to find in our rural stores. If you live in a bigger area, you’d have better luck!

    This is my referal link, and my code is GWJIVCE if you are signing up with an account for the first time.

    I do not know when this deal will go away. Ibotta says through the 25th or until they run out of redemptions. I would go ASAP so you don’t miss out!!

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  • Addi’s Birthday Interview- NINE

    November 1, 2020

    1. What is your favorite color?  pink
    2. What is your favorite toy?  I’d say it’s either Joss or the homemade bed that Mimi and Papa made me.
    3. What is your favorite fruit?  apple
    4. What is your favorite tv show or movie? hmm… I don’t really know
    5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  I like having the homemade pizza lunchables that you make.
    6. What is your favorite game? hmm… I like the shopkins world vacation game and Clue.
    7. What is your favorite snack?  hmm… the frosted animal crackers
    8. What is your favorite animal? I like elephants, llamas, and unicorns.
    9. What is your favorite song?   hmm… I like the Taylor Swift songs. When you first introduced us to them, I really liked it.
    10. What is your favorite book?  I have a lot of favorite books, so I can’t really name all of them. Whats the first one that came to mind? Unicorn Academy
    11. Who is your best friend?   I’d say Rilyn. I hang out with her a lot.
    12. What is your favorite cereal?   The crunchy fruit ones. I don’t remember what they’re called. (berry colossal crunch)
    13. What is your favorite thing to do outside?  I like camping and hanging out by a fire.
    14. What is your favorite drink?  milk
    15. What is your favorite holiday?   I like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
    16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?   I like to take fluffy.
    17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?   I like the chocolate chip waffles.
    18. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Hmm… fried chicken and cracklin’ cornbread.
    19. What do you want to be when you grow up?  I have no idea. I’ve been trying to figure that out for a long time, but I have no idea.
    20. What makes you feel happy?  My family

    Oh, Addi. My sweet old-soul. She loves all things Laura Ingalls Wilder. She loves learning and exploring. She loves Jesus. She has big emotions and loves so hard. She also hates to have her hair brushed, and asked if that has always been the case when she looked through all of the pictures. I’m so thankful that God chose me to be her mama.

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  • Winter is Coming

    October 26, 2020

    Winter seems to have arrived in many places. The temperatures continue to drop. In fact, it’s snowing in the northern part of our state, and I have looked out our windows multiple times to make sure it’s not snowing here. I can see our beautiful yellow tree out of the office window. It’s a lovely reminder that autumn is still here.

    Scott has been quarantined for the past week, and still has a few more days to go. He is perfectly fine– never got sick– but was exposed at work and had to stay home. We’ve tried to use the time wisely since we don’t get much time together to work on projects.

    He helped me finish cleaning up the root cellar so that we can store more food down there. I hope that next year it will be more home-grown food and less grocery store food. Self-sufficiency is the goal! We also pulled up the last of what was growing in the garden. It’s sad to close the garden for the winter. Our garlic has all sprouted and hopefully has a good foundation to make it through the winter. I wish we had planted more!

    With the garden “closed”, we are already dreaming of next year. We buy heirloom seeds for our garden each year. The seed catalog from my favorite company is coming next month. I have a homesteading planner that will arrive any day. We have plans to expand our garden next year. It’s all very exciting. The planner will help us not only plan our garden lay out, but also help us to make and stick to a budget.

    I feel like I just can’t learn enough. I am seeing why God put this desire in my heart so many years ago. I’ve been watching youtube videos from The Prairie Homestead and The Elliot Homestead, along with a few new channels I’ve discovered. I’ve been reading all of the books I can find, and have several holds on their way to the library. I finally bought this book after checking it out 10+ times from the library.

    (Almost) Winter is a strange time. We finished harvesting our garden. Everything has been stored or canned.. or eaten.. It feels like we should be done for the year. But, we aren’t. We have a list of things we need to do prepare for next Spring. Next on the list– I need to mulch our berry bushes. Our chickens need a light on a timer so that they will produce eggs this winter. It’s a race against the clock.

    Everyone has been asking if we’ve had eggs yet. The answer is no. Our breeds of chickens start laying eggs between 24 and 48 weeks. They just turned 24 weeks, so it could be any day. It also could be a long time. Since we got them later in the year, I worry we may not get eggs for a long time. The cooler weather and shorter days cause less eggs in established hens. We will see what happens though.

    I hope to learn how to crochet will this winter. I know the basics, and can make a square. A square-ish shape. I’ve made a scarf. But, I want to do it well. I’ve seen so many fun projects that I’d love to complete. Winter seems like a great time to learn.

    Everyone always dreads winter. I have been working on shifting my mindset over the past few years. Having a rotten attitude won’t change a thing about the weather. I’m going to chose to use the time wisely to learn new things. I’m going to embrace the beauty of the season. I’m going to embrace the coziness of the season. I’m also certainly going to enjoy every last day of autumn.

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