As you’ve probably noticed by now, I enjoy cooking. That doesn’t mean I’m always good at cooking, but I’m generally not bad at it and I get joy from trying new recipes. There are those solid recipes that I go back to time and time again, tweaking it until it’s absolutely perfect. And to me, those recipes are full of magic. My recipes are almost always started from another recipe. I’ll try a new bread recipe I found online, then try it again with coconut oil instead of olive oil, or molasses instead of honey. I’m the queen of substitutions, either because we are out of an ingredient or from s ..read more

One year ago, we bought our house on three and a half acres and started our homestead. It was a long time in the works before that, though. Saving and planning and dreaming went on for years until we were able to make it a reality. But why? This is something of individual preference. There is no ‘right’ way to live a life. But we are both quiet, introverted people. Our personalities aren’t suited for city life. Sometimes I envy the energy city people have to go out at the end of the day, but that’s not something I enjoy doing. My nights are for sitting around a bonfire or crocheting or readi ..read more

We want our chickens to have the best lives possible, so we work every day to make that happen. It’s a balance of keeping them safe and keeping them happy and engaged each day. They have a coop that they’re shut in at night for safety and a run to explore during the day. Here’s a tour of their home! The chickens have a large area to run and explore during the day. It’s bordered on one side by the dog yard fence and the other three sides by a chicken wire fence. We sunk that fence in the ground a foot to keep burrowing predators away. Then there’s bird netting over all of it, to protect from ..read more

When you first start out homesteading, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. Luckily, you’re not the first person trying to homestead! There are tons of blogs, YouTube channels, books, and social media accounts of homesteaders sharing their journey and their tips. Here are a few of our favorites. Blogs are one of my favorite homesteading resources because they’re constantly updated and full of relevant information. It’s easy to find one in your niche with a quick Google search. Try “Zone 7b Gardening”, “Raising Free Range Chickens”, or “Medicinal Foraging”. Brownthumbmam ..read more

Mabon marks the point of the year between the summer and winter solstice. On this day, the day and night are in complete balance. The counterpoint of Ostara, Mabon is sometimes considered to be the ‘Thanksgiving’ of the Wheel of the Year. It Is the second of three harvest festivals, the others being Lughnasadh and Samhain. Mabon is named for a God in Welsh mythology, Mabon, the son of the Earth Mother Goddess. Unlike many holidays on the Wheel of the Year, this holiday was created by 20th century Pagans. The name was coined by the American scholar Aiden Kelly, who chose the name from Welsh m ..read more

July is a busy month on the homestead, and it can get very hot. We were reminded of that when Alyssa got heat stroke last week while working in the yard. Here’s what we do on the homestead in July- being extra careful to take care of ourselves now. The garden is going okay. It’s great for a first-year garden but overall isn’t the best. We’ve harvested one bean so far. To be fair, we would have more if I picked what is on the bushes now. Instead, we are leaving the pods on to mature so we can plant the beans next year and hopefully have a better harvest. We’ve been having white mold creep thr ..read more

Everyone morning as I’m brewing the coffee and making biscuits with jam, I set my intentions for the day. Yes, this is based in our druidic & witchy practices, but I think it’s beneficial for everyone regardless of beliefs. I encourage you to give it a shot and see if it works for you. It’s definitely something that has improved my daily life! Intentions are more than a to-do list. To-do lists are intimidating and daunting and more often than not something you don’t look forward to. Intentions are about feelings and emotions. They're about how you will carry yourself through the day, how ..read more

The kitchen is where we spend the most money. Between the energy and money it takes to run all the appliances to the groceries you buy each month, it adds up. But there are ways to save- sometimes a lot. Buy in Bulk Only do this with things you will finish before they go bad. Food waste is a big burden on a budget and the planet. We buy rice, beans, yeast, flour, and sugar in bulk because we use them often enough that they won’t go bad. They’re also all shelf stable, so storage and shelf life are less of an issue. Buying in bulk also decreases packaging, most of which goes into landfills. It ..read more

The first piece of advice you hear when learning to manage your personal finances is to create a budget. It’s often suggested to write out how much money you make and what you spend it on, then determine from there what you should be spending it on. But it isn’t as easy as that. Some people might have inconsistent paychecks, like if you work an hourly job or if you make commission or tips. You can’t base your budget on money you are not certain you will have. You might make a big sale, get a big tip, or have the opportunity to work extra hours. But you might not. Don’t spend that money before ..read more

Our garden is slowly and steadily making progress! It is our first year, so a lot of this is trying and failing, but some is trying a succeeding. Every little success feels huge. Here’s what the garden looks like this month. Peppers Our hot peppers are doing… okay? They look a lot smaller than others’ I’ve seen in peoples gardens, but they are growing and seem healthy given the fact that we have no garden fence. One’s leaves have been getting eaten, so we are working on figuring out that problem. Overall, they’re doing pretty well. Bush Beans Two or three days ago, I went out to check the g ..read more