Think you’d like to make homemade maple syrup? It’s deliciously rewarding. And you can start super small. Read this previous post for directions on your first steps toward this amazing liquid delicacy. Go here for a list of the exact supplies our family uses to make maple syrup, right in our backyard. Then read on for details […]
Make Your Own Maple Syrup (part 2) Read More »
Braided wool rugs are kinda a family thing for us. Well, not really for me. A lot of things totally skipped a generation with me. I can’t sew “worth a lick,” as my mom would’ve said. But my daughters know their way around a sewing machine and back. I barely braid hair, but my daughters can
Clean Your Braided Wool Rugs in 3 Easy Steps Read More »
Seedling planters tend to overrun our sunny window ledges and counters around this time of the year. And they come in all shapes and sizes. My teen gardener has experimented with quite a few ideas over the years, and I thought I’d share a few of our favorites. Edit to Add: I’ll be sharing in an upcoming post
Try These 6 Ingenious Seedling Planters! Read More »
We didn’t make a gingerbread house. We made a gingerbread farm. Our inspiration? Our own 200-year old farmhouse, our own farm animals, and a Christmas without presents. I’d been out of town for most of November and December. I’d looked over the girls’ school work from my mom’s hospital room 400 miles away, video chatting
How We Made a Gingerbread Farm Read More »
Ever thought about trying to make your own maple syrup? This is the first in a multi-part series documenting my family’s failures (lots) and successes (a few) at our first attempt to do so. And I’ll fill you in on our results this year as well… it should be a SWEET series. btw, before you hesitate
Make Your Own Maple Syrup (part 1) Read More »
Fall ushers in deliciousness. And fall always reminds me of a classic children’s book every homesteader needs to read to every child in their life. Heirloom pumpkin treasures draped over our garden fence mean homemade pumpkin bread in a few weeks. (See this post for my family’s favorite pumpkin bread recipe.) Just-picked apples are
Fall deliciousness & Blueberries for Sal Read More »
If you’re blessed to be a parent to an amazing daughter (or, like me, four), you may know multiple ways to braid hair. And you’ve probably hosted your share of tea parties. You may paint a really mean manicure, especially on your daughter’s dominant hand. And you’re really good at listening (because she often has
12 reasons to take your daughter to the fair Read More »
Waiting. I’ve been drowning in “waiting” for a year’s worth of seasons.
When You Finally See “Waiting” for What it is Read More »
It had been a tough week. I needed simple ways to relax. As pathetic as it is, I will admit it: We were only 3 weeks into a new school year, and my daughters and I needed another summer vacation. So last weekend we did the next best thing and made HOME feel like a vacation…
When You Need a Vacation (at Home) Read More »
Being raised on a farm affects one profoundly. Being raised on a farm is so acutely part of my dad that his boyhood experiences surface now and again–long after the boy has left the farm–as a personality trait. Farm life is a fiber of his being that sinks down to his achy knees and runs through the weathered veins in his hands, inspiring
So you want to own a farm… Read More »
