Homeschooling on a Homestead: Doing Life on "Hard Mode" (And Loving It) I always joke that homeschooling and homesteading is like choosing to play the game of life on "Hard Difficulty." On our busy 3-acre homestead, the schedule isn't just swamped it can be complete chaos. Between milking goats, checking the high tunnel, and managing a farm stand, fitting in "formal" ...
Scaling Up: Transitioning from Backyard Chickens to a Homestead Flock on acreage
The Shift from Backyard to Homestead The beginning of our homestead journey started when we lived smack dab in the middle of town with a pretty big fenced in back yard. We decided to get some chickens and start a raised bed garden. The garden didn't grow anything, but we had 3 great little bantam chickens. A few months later we decided that while having 3 chickens was great, ...
Before You Buy Baby Chicks: 5 Essentials for New Chicken Owners
5 things you need to know before getting chickens It’s that time of year again. You walk into the local farm store for a bag of soil or that viral home decor item that you definitely need, and there it is: the chirping. Those stock tanks full of adorable baby chicks are the ultimate gateway drug to homesteading. Believe me, I’ve been there—I started with a very bougie ...
The secret to the best homemade Flaky Pie Crust
Making pie crust at home is so much easier than you think, and so much cheaper than buying store bought! When you realize just how easy it is to make pie crust I bet you'll find a lot more pies in your future. You don't need a dozen ingredients or professional tools—just four pantry staples and one simple secret to get those bakery-style flakes every single time. Why You’ll ...
Easy One-Pan Cheesy Tex-Mex Skillet (30-Minute Meal)
This Easy Cheesy Tex-Mex Skillet is the ultimate one-pan weeknight dinner. If you grew up loving Hamburger Helper, this homemade version is just as quick but much healthier, you can swap out regular rotini for whole wheat pasta and add your own fresh seasoning. Why You’ll Love This Tex-Mex Skillet This is a really simple meal for a quick weeknight dinner. It's one of ...
20+ Things We Don’t Buy at the Store Anymore: How We Reclaimed Our Grocery Bill
Have you been dreaming of a homestead, or maybe you just need a solid list of reasons to convince your husband it’s time for goats and chickens? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve been homesteading for five years on just three acres, and every season we move closer to total sustainability (and the majority of those 5 years I was either pregnant or we had a newborn.) With 5 ...
My Go-To Sweet & Smoky BBQ Pork Rub for Perfect Pulled Pork
Our family loves BBQ, and slow cooker pulled pork is a go-to around here, especially in busy seasons. Between everyday life and adding a newborn to the mix, quick, low-effort meals are essential. This sweet and smoky BBQ pork rub has become a staple, and I can honestly say it’s so easy I’ve mixed it together one-handed while holding our newborn little guy. To make the best ...
Homemade Coffee Creamer
Let’s talk about homemade coffee creamer. I love coffee, I can’t start the day without a cup, but I need coffee creamer. I’m definitely not one of those die hard coffee drinkers that can drink it black, but I’m also not exactly a “I’ll have a little coffee with my creamer kind of person either.” I’m definitely a happy medium when it comes to coffee. I know I couldn’t keep ...
Favorite Packaging Supplies for our Farm Stand
I knew when we started our farm stand that packaging was something I really wanted to focus on. I know I'm way more likely to buy a product, and probably even share a product on social media if the packaging is cute. Plus, it makes my job of advertising our products online so much easier when I have cute products to sell. Our farm stand currently sells produce, eggs, our famous ...
What we learned from our farm stand’s first year
This was our first year with a farm stand and we learned so much. Our farm stand sold eggs, produce, cookies, and bread. Here's what we learned and how we're taking that knowledge to tweak some things and have a successful season this year. Which products sell the best at a farm stand We had success selling eggs, we would be sold out incredibly fast. Some days there was a ...
Old fashioned french toast recipe
Homestead french toast recipe Growing up french toast was as simple as it gets, just milk and eggs (a splash of vanilla if we were feeling fancy) and call it a day. When I had my first apartment with the teeny tiniest kitchen ever I was so ambitious, I was always cooking and baking complicated meals. Even though we didn't even have a full size oven, no counter space ...