• Reflecting One Year In

    September 4, 2020

    It has officially been one year since we moved into this home. I distinctly remember this day. We had been slowly moving some things in to get them set up while we waited for the carpet to get put in. I had to leave for work that evening. When I got off, I pulled up the driveway and cried. We were home. It felt like home. It felt like a hug at the end of some really hard years… and is continuing to hold me as I lost my Grandpa suddenly on Sunday.

    Living on a farm has been a dream of ours for quite some time. I don’t really remember exactly when it started. In 2010, my dad had open heart surgery right after I became a mom. I remember learning all that I could about eating healthy, because I was told that heart disease was coming for me, too. (Who knew I already had it!) I remember trying to make healthier decisions for my family. I wanted to plant a garden and grow our own food. I got really into watching food documentaries.

    Somehow all of this evolved into discovering homesteading. I read as many blog posts as I could about homesteading. I checked out books and watched YouTube videos. It became a dream that Scott and I wanted so badly. We would drive around the country in the states we lived in and dream. We knew it was a far, far off dream. We couldn’t afford to buy even a tiny house. We’d never be able to afford land.

    But, God.

    It’s amazing how tiny decisions can lead to huge results. Let that be a lesson– good or bad. The tiny decision to strike up a conversation with a library patron lead to this massive shift in our life. We get to rent this beautiful home with this beautiful land. We get to plant gardens and raise chickens. The dream has been far better than we expected.

    In the past year, we have baked countless loaves of bread. We watched the leaves change colors and fall to the ground. We’ve gathered around the threshing table for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. We’ve squealed with delight over waking up to snow on the ground. We watched the world come back to life in the spring. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into creating our garden. We worked hard to expand the chicken run and make sure that they had a safe coop to be in. We’ve lost animals that we love.

    It’s harvest time! We are so thankful that most of our plants have done well. We were gifted a huge box of tomatoes, so I canned those yesterday. Canning is such an awesome skill to have learned, but it also feel so stressful because I don’t want to mess it up!

    It feels so good to go to the garden to pick vegetables and herbs to cook with. I also FINALLY made some candles out of beeswax! Traditional candles are so harmful to burn, but I love the warm light that they offer. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years! Learning these new skills has been incredible. It feels good to use the gifts that God has given me. There are so many skills that are disappearing because they aren’t used anymore. I don’t want to lose them! I want to pass them on to my daughters.

    One year in, and I’d say that we are official homesteaders of the renting sort. (I just reached for my coffee, and there is a gnat floating in it. So, that’s a definite yes.)

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  • Quick Kitchen Update

    May 8, 2020

    Our kitchen is where we spend most of our time. I love cooking. My family loves eating. We were asked to not paint the cabinets in here when we moved in, which is fine with me. White kitchens look beautiful, but I would not want to have to scrub them every day. I love the look of natural wood, and the cabinet color is pretty. The hardware is very dated though. I started looking at options, and found these. I love the style. They also could be spray painted so easily if you wanted a different color.

    Eventually, I really want to update the drawer pulls to these. I’m also going to get some of these grout pens to use on our backsplash to freshen it up. Just small and affordable updates to make the kitchen look so nice. Maybe no one else will notice the difference, but it does make me happy. The girls love when we do any project like this. They are big Fixer Upper fans, so there is always talk of us fixing up our fixer upper.

    Spending all of this time at home really makes you discover projects that you want to do and changes you want to make. What is a project you are doing around your house?

    cabinet handles // produce bags // instant pot // mixer // storage jars // dutch oven // diffuser //

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  • Dreams Come to Life

    April 28, 2020

    It is so hard to believe that this is all coming to life. Years and years ago, we started dreaming of living on a farm, and having our own mini-homestead. We are talking 7 or 8 years ago of hoping and dreaming. Years of container gardening on a patio.

    Here we are. We have seeds started indoors. We have some of the early plants in the ground already– praying the sudden and unexpected freeze didn’t kill them. We have other seeds that you sow directly in the soil. The dream is slowly coming to life. A couple of years ago, I was sent a free water bath canning kit– with the big pot and utensils– from Ball Jars, and I can’t wait to make jam with our blueberries, cherries, and strawberries. That is, if my kids don’t eat them all before we get them inside. PS– this book is a life saver if you are new to canning. You get instructions for EVERYTHING.

    It is all just such a blessing. It is not lost on me for one second how fortunate we are. We are fortunate that we bought heirloom seeds and two small raised bed kits last year. We are fortunate that God placed this home in our hands. We are fortunate that we have established apple and cherry trees in the yard. We are fortunate that Scott is “essential” and still has a job for the time being. I’m able to work from home for now. The future is so unknown for all of us, so we are doing our best to be wise and plan well.

    The only dream on hold is chickens. We don’t feel that we are completely prepared. I’ve been trying to convince Scott that we need some baby emus. So far, he’s not going for it. 😉 I want to feel confident before we bring chicks home to raise, and I’m just not quite there yet. I’m afraid we would end up with all roosters, and I want none of that. I also want to make sure we have a GOOD system in place for winter.

    For years, I’ve been reading and researching what it takes to homestead. Did you know that you don’t have to have a big farm to be a homesteader? Small baby steps can get you there. Bake your own bread. Grow your own spices in a small window box. You can grow a big tomato plant in a pot on your porch. Most communities have a local farmer that you can buy eggs, meat, and produce from.

    I read this article recently, and I really encourage you to read it.

    Here are a couple of good resources to help you learn–

    The Prairie Homesteader gives great tutorials on just about everything you could need.

    Homesteaders of America

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  • Homesteaders to Follow

    March 19, 2020

    Hey, friends! How is everyone? It’s the first day of Spring, so let’s celebrate that!!

    If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I have a passion for homesteading. It’s something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I started out by learning how to bake my own breads, canning, and container gardening. With several recent moves under our belts, we aren’t quite as far into the process as we hoped. We moved much later last year than initially planned, so we didn’t get a garden in the ground or chickens in the coop. We do have our seeds bought and soil, so we are going to get that going very soon.

    I thought that I would share my favorite homesteading accounts for those of you who are wanting to gain some homesteading skills. The list is small, but they have offered so much information! Don’t overwhelm yourself.

    The Prairie Homestead— my mom introduced me to Jill’s youtube channel last year. She is so good at explaining everything. She recently started a podcast and published a cookbook. Her cookbook is so much more than recipes and I honestly cannot recommend it enough!!

    The Elliott Homestead— Shaye is where I first started when learning about homesteading. She isn’t just passionate about farming, but also beautiful things. Her flower gardens are always so beautiful. Her home is so cozy. Their youtube channel is really great, and so is her book Welcome to the Farm.

    Homesteaders of America— this one is new to me. Starting on Monday, they are going to do a “how to grow your own food” series on YouTube based on Victory Gardens. I’m so excited to learn more!!

    Homesteading does not have to be done on a huge plot of land. All you need is a kitchen. Start by learning how to bake a loaf of bread. Start with a fresh herb plant. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to learn everything at once.

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  • Creating Home

    January 14, 2020
    butter keeper

    Some of you many not know that I was an interior design major at one point in college. I changed my major because I knew that we would be moving wherever God called us in ministry– and a career in interior design wouldn’t be sustainable in my mind. Honestly, my biggest regret is switching majors and not sticking with something that I loved. I see so many people who have successful design businesses that work from home.

    I grew up watching Trading Spaces with my mom. HGTV was my favorite channel to watch. It still would be my favorite if we had cable. I LOVE Joanna Gaines and what she is doing. Even though House Hunters was absurd, I still loved to see the inside of those homes. All of that to say, I still really love interior design.

    If you are reading our book club book for January, then you know she is talking all about home– the atmosphere that is created by us. I don’t want to go into the book now. I’m saving that for the end of the month. But, it has just reaffirmed how much and why I love home design.

    I have said for years that I am responsible for creating “home” for my children. We have moved a lot, and lived in many dwellings (8) in our eleven years of marriage. We take the “home” atmosphere with us wherever we go. I create it with cozy pillows and throws, candles, conversation, music, books, art, etc.

    It doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant. It just has to be you. It has to be your family. It doesn’t need to be cookie cutter or fit into the most popular box. If fills you and your family with joy– embrace your style.

    For my family, on our small budget, everything needs to serve a purpose. In the kitchen, I love having our wooden cutting boards on display. They get used every day, and are easily accessible. The many throws in our home come to good use since the house is a bit drafty. We have family photos on display and thrift store artwork that we love. I am not a minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love simplicity and tidiness.

    Home is where our families will learn the most about Jesus. Inside of these walls should be a safe haven for our family when the world gets too hard. Prayer and scripture should fill our home. When someone walks through our front door, I want them to feel that love resides here. That is why I love design and am passionate about creating a cozy and inviting home. I want home to be the place my daughters long for when life gets hard. I want them to know that they are safe and unconditionally loved here.

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  • Garden Planning

    January 7, 2020

    Have you seen The Biggest Little Farm yet? It is so good and so inspiring. To see what they did with dead soil and barren land was incredible. The hard work and dedication required to do what they did… goodness. Their self-sustaining farm is huge and so beautiful! It was just the kick in the pants that I needed.

    I am starting to think about garden plans this month. I don’t want to get close to Spring and feel overwhelmed by it all. If we can plan it out in advance and be prepared, hopefully it will go smoothly. Are you laughing also? I am. Nothing every goes smoothly. But, I do want to be prepared and educated.

    The biggest decision that needs to be made is WHERE the garden will go. Since we do live on a working farm, I want to be respectful and out of the way of it all. I know where the farmer’s wife put her garden back when they moved in many years ago. However, that is now where the septic tank is buried. It just had to be dug up, and I certainly don’t want to lose my garden if something should happen again. It’s not likely that it will need to be dug up again soon, but preparation makes me feel better.

    The chicken coop was going to be removed by the people who own it, but its been over a year and it’s still here. I’m guessing that they don’t want it. So, the question of the day– chickens or no chickens. If you have raised them, I’d love to know your thoughts. I’m going to read up on it all and try to decide. I’d love to have fresh eggs at my fingertips. But, we do have a LOT of coyotes around us, and I worry about losing our money to them.

    Scott and I are both really excited to be able to lay down plans again this year. Last year, we were unsure of when we would be moving, and did tiny containers for just a few plants. It wasn’t very successful. We do have a ton of seeds because we bought in advance last year. This is where we buy from. We are determined to make it work this year.

    Here are the books I’m going to read:
    Welcome to the Farm
    Mini Farming
    Chick Days
    Starter Vegetable Gardens

    If you are an experienced vegetable gardener (or berry bush gardener) I’d love to know your tips and favorite resources!

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  • Festivity

    December 16, 2019

    Our town has started a tree-lighting ceremony before the parade. The kids got gift bags, made crafts, and wrote Christmas cards for people in the local nursing homes. It was so much fun!

    This month has flown by at lightening speed because of so many obligations. Now that programs and events are over, I’m hoping things will slow down and we can actually ENJOY the rest of the month. Here’s to hoping for a few weeks of rest.

    We had a beautiful snow storm last night that kept us home from church. We baked Christmas cookies and watched The Grinch while the snow fell outside. We were going to bake a lot of cookies to give to friends, but two of the three kids have TERRIBLE colds that sound like they may be turning into something worse. So, we made a batch of no-bakes and some eggnog cutout cookies. I’ll share the eggnog cookie recipe soon because they are good!

    This is our last week of school before Christmas break, and I may be more excited than the kids. Scott and I are getting no sleep with Harper being so miserable and awake all night. We’re so tired, and I’ll be glad to turn on Christmas movies every day and relax. Scott even took some time off, and I can’t wait to get time together as a family!!!

    We woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland. I hope that wherever you are, you are able to slow down and enjoy the season– even if it includes snow. It sure is beautiful.

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  • Frosted Windowpanes

    November 13, 2019

    Sunday afternoon, we were outside in lite jackets playing in the leaves. Monday, I got a text from my boss saying she was closing the library early and I didn’t need to come in. I can attest that snow days are even MORE exciting as an adult. It was wild because it looked like a blizzard outside. Visibility wasn’t great. But, we got less than three inches of snow. Tuesday, the temperature was in the teens and lower.

    I woke up extra early Tuesday morning and got to watch the sunrise spread pink through the entire house. It was so pretty. We have “storm windows” where there is an inner window to put down and an outer one. The outer ones are covered in frost, and it’s so beautiful.

    Snow really is beautiful to watch from the comfort of your home. Especially when you have fresh bread baking in the oven. If I don’t have to go out in it, I really enjoy watching it fall. We are all so excited for Frozen 2 to come out in theaters this month, and this snow is getting us in the spirit. Though, someone maybe needs to give Elsa a hug.

    It is a little frightening how quickly the temperatures are dropping. We have to keep an eye on our propane levels. I do NOT want to run out in the winter!

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  • Big Girl Bed

    October 22, 2019
    bed || curtains

    It was time. Harper has been in a toddler bed for the past two years. While she would have fit for at least two more, we needed to get her a new bed. This bed went on sale on Wayfair and I snatched it up. It was easy to put together and is very sturdy. It has the option to built it lower to the ground– which means you can skip the toddler bed!

    The mattress that she had was around 20 years old. Yes, TWENTY. A sweet friend gave it to me before Addison was born. We needed another crib mattress but couldn’t afford to buy a new one. It was sturdy and held up SO WELL. It has been falling apart for a few months

    We had some time at Target with her and we looked at the bedding. She decided that she wants this bedding. I’m hoping it will go on sale soon. (I just noticed that it went on sale.)

    If you want “Pinterest worthy” bedrooms, you are on the wrong blog. If you want real and attainable for the average person bedrooms, this is your space.

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  • Farmhouse Living Room

    October 8, 2019
    | rug || green wreath (mine is last season)|| white wreath (similar)|| IKEA shelf (similar) |

    One room at a time. That is what I have been telling myself. Our living room is mostly done. It’s not perfect, but it is ours. We have sort of a hodge podge of furniture. The couch and chaise were given to us. One day, we will pick out matching furniture.

    || similar pillow || check throw || grey throw ||

    This corner is the perfect place to curl up with a book. The door is so beautiful. The wreath is from CB2. It was a clearance leftover from last winter, and has unfortunately sold out.

    || pillow covers || US wall art || diffuser ||
    || pillow cover || chair (similar- same brand) || table ||

    The glider is something that we saved and planned for while I was pregnant with Harper. I wanted a comfy chair that would last us a long time. It’s my favorite piece of furniture that we own. The table next to the chair is a really awesome coffee table that my aunt gave me. When we put it on the rug, the rug wrinkles so deeply that we trip. We haven’t figured out a good solution, so this is the current arrangement.

    I have tried really hard to simplify everything. I want someone to walk in and feel welcome to cozy up on the couch. I am certainly not a minimalist– that style feels too cold to me. But, I don’t want so much stuff everywhere that your eye doesn’t have a place to rest.

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