Anyone else looking for other shopping alternatives? No? Just me? 👀
Over the last few years, things have shifted, in a big way, for me.
I’ve been more conscious of what we consume, in every way. I’m having to make my dollars stretch a LOT farther. I’ve had to let go a lot of things. I’m reusing and repurposing anything I can. I’m cooking and baking from scratch, gardening, getting chickens, etc. It’s a whole thing! 🌱🐓💐
Since I’m an America First 🇺🇸 kind of girl, I’ve been really conscious of spending my dollars with like minded shops/stores/people, as well as local.
It’s super important to me. God has bestowed upon me blessing after blessing and I must be a good steward of those blessings.
Thankfully, I’ve found one such place that checks many of my boxes.
Made in the USA
Clean & non-toxic
Affordable …just to name a few
I am now working to swap all the gross toxic crap with healthier options. Under my kitchen and bathroom sink, in my medicine cabinet, including supplements! I’m really excited to get everything swapped over and share with you my thoughts on it. It’s all part of our journey in going from cottage to farmhouse!
Homesteading. It’s quite the buzzword these days, isn’t it? But what exactly is homesteading?
Never mind what Merriam-Webster says. Of course, that’s a true definition of the word. But let’s look at it in the 21st century’s lens.
Homesteading today is as much a way of life as it is a place. Homesteading is more about becoming self-sustaining and self-reliant. Learning ‘old timey’ skills, going back to our roots and living a more peaceful life.
Here is what homesteading means to this nostalgic old soul:
*Learning skills that seem to have died with our grandmothers: crocheting, knitting, quilting, embroidery, sewing, cooking and baking everything from scratch, re-using and re-purposing everything –yes, maybe even cleaning off the perfectly good piece of tinfoil, because waste not want not, amiright? Growing and raising our own food, and on and on.
*Homeschooling our kids. I’m done having small children, but my young adult son is already on board with homeschooling his children–good Lord willing he should be so blessed.
*Trading and bartering with neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ. You know how to do something they don’t and they know how to do something you don’t, so do what you know how to do well and share the love, mmkay? Yes. Let’s do that.
*Keeping money local. Buy, sell, trade in your own community, amongst like-minded folks. Keeping money in your own community is the best way to ensure stability in your community.
*Teach others how to do what you know how to do. Share the wealth and the love.
*Bring back ‘barn raisings”. The Amish still do it to this day. It’s economical and often faster than hiring out help. It also builds community.
*Bring back Sunday/family dinners. Ideally, you’re already eating together as a family at the table, but if your work schedule doesn’t allow for that, at least make sure you can gather for a family meal at the end of the week.
*Plant a garden and have chickens. Planting a garden is soooo therapeutic and rewarding. Raising chickens for fresh eggs should be on your list, too. Check with your local ordinances to see if that is allowable for you before you run off and build your coop and get your chicks. 😉 Plant some herbs especially for your chickens. It will help them stay healthy and enrich your eggs!
*Learn to bake fresh bread. I promise, it’s not as a hard as it looks and it is so cathartic and therapeutic. Also rewarding. And, bonus feature, it’s a natural room freshener. You’ll thank me later.
Live in an apartment? No sweat. You can do a small container garden on your patio or balcony, or even in a sunny kitchen window. You can grow tomatoes, green beans, herbs, and yes, even a dwarf lemon tree! Pinterest is a gold mine for how to start a container garden.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. As I learn more about how I can homestead where I am, I will share with you on how you can homestead where YOU are. It can be done anywhere! It’s more of a way of living than a physical place.
Stay tuned for more homesteading posts, tips, and ideas!
This past Friday my phone just up and died. Out of nowhere, zero warning. It just so happens that it was the same day a big white balloon was spotted floating over our state. Coincidence? Who knows. But I digress. At first, I thought it was the battery, so I took it in to have the battery replaced. That wasn’t it. So that was a waste of fifty bucks. So I ordered a ‘new’ one and it should be here by Thursday. Let me just tell you it’s been a really long 3 days already. I am not ok.
What this period of darkness has taught me is that we have become grossly dependent upon our devices. I can do NOTHING without my phone. I don’t wear a watch, so unless I’m home or in my car I have no idea what time it is. I can’t just shoot a text to let so and so I’m on my way or look up an address. I can’t look up that recipe I saved for dinner or research that thing I thought of the other day. I can’t just check my email or see how my friends are doing on the socials or watch TV on my Amazon FireTV. Because not only is that thing glued to my hand, it is the source of internet for my entire household when we are home. I have also realized that I can’t even listen to music because my iTunes library hasn’t been synced properly and all I have access to is Christmas music. I can’t even write a blog post! I’m currently using the TextEdit ‘app’ on my MacBook Air. And let’s not even get started on trying to get into websites and apps on your computer because they need to confirm your identity by sending you a code on, you guessed it, your phone. So I can’t even check my bank accounts. That’s pretty scary. Of course, I could call, but…. I don’t have a phone.
Yes, of course, I could go to the library, my mom’s, or a handful of other places to use their Wi-Fi, but that’s not always convenient when you have other things to do at home, like testing some recipes or working on crochet orders. It’s in between batches or hand/wrist breaks that I catch up on emails, socials, etc. Quite the conundrum.
I feel like the Lord allowed this to happen for me to come to a deeper realization of the deception and dependency to help encourage others to maybe step back and take a look and see just how dependent they are on their devices and to encourage everyone to take some time unplugged as often as possible.
It’s time to get back to basics, friends. Remember those? Many of you reading this will not. But people my age and older will remember the days of going to the library to research all the things, going to the video store to rent a movie (sadly those are gone, but save a few), calling your friend on the phone to catch up (which sounds really weird going from an introvert who would much rather just send a text), sending a handwritten letter, going out to the movies, reading physical books, taking classes for painting, pottery, knitting or crochet, etc. Meeting friends face to face for lunch or dinner, or even just a coffee. Have people over in your homes to enjoy each other’s company.
We really don’t need ALL the apps and to have the news smack us in the face every time we open it up. There is so much more joy and peace to be had without it. The enemy wants us to be dependent upon these things, upon him. He prowls around looking for whom he can kill and destroy (John 10:10). He has a done a splendid job thus far. Just look around you!
Perhaps I will only use my cell phone as a modem for the internet for business purposes and remove all social media apps and other time wasters from the device and leave them strictly desktop access only. I don’t know. But I do know that something has to change and I am mad as hell about how dependent they have made us on these things.
My advice to you:
Unplug. Often.
Read The Word. Daily.
Buy chickens.
Plant a garden.
Buy local, USA made.
Support your local farmers.
Avoid big box stores.
Buy & read out of print history books. 😉
**Update: I have my ‘new’ phone and am back online. It was a long week!
Hurry up and wait. Society today knows no patience. Everything is sped up and hurried. Instantaneous. At your fingertips.
Microwaves | Drive thrus | Delivery | Fast food | Instacart | Amazon | Next day shipping | pre-packaged meals | The list goes on and on.
No one has to wait for anything these days. And that has done us a huge disservice.
We need to rely on God’s timing. Because His timing is sheer perfection. I have never been a patient person. God knows this. Therefore, He ensured that my life be a waiting period. And yours, too.
You know how they say, “Good things come to those who wait”? We have been conditioned to bypass that. Instead, these days it’s, “Good things come to those who hustle”. I used to believe that. The last few years have changed my thoughts on the matter. They have taught me to slow down and appreciate things more. Enjoy the process more. And you know what? I rather like it and prefer it. I’ve learned to make things from scratch. To grow things. I’m discovering skills and arts that have gotten lost in the hustle.
It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted the ‘next best thing’, but even in the last few years, the desires of my heart have drastically changed. I no longer seek wealth, I seek joy and peace. I no longer seek the recognition, I seek the fellowship and connection of family, friends, and neighbors.
Do I still have material wants? Of course. Hello farm life! Donkeys, cows, and chickens…Oh my! But they aren’t just things to HAVE. They are a way of life and each serves a purpose.
I’ve gotten a bit off track. Waiting. We were never meant to have ALL THE THINGS RIGHT MEOW. Hello? Moses. Israelites. Wilderness. 40 years. Going in circles because they couldn’t quit complaining and being grateful for what the Lord gave them? Sound familiar? It sure does to me. I have been in my own wilderness for the last 17 years. Because I haven’t been content and thankful for what I have been given. Including the struggles. This isn’t a post about contentment, though we need to have it in the waiting. The last few years the Lord has shown me to be content in the waiting. It wasn’t until today during my devotional reading that it hit me that the waiting is preparing my heart and mind for what He has in store for me.
I know what I think I want and need. But God knows better than I. And I can’t WAIT to see what He has in store for me. Because what I want sounds pretty amazing. A loving godly husband, a farm life, taking care of the family with the things we have grown and raised together. It sounds downright heavenly. But only if it’s the Lord’s will. Naturally, I hope it is. But I will learn to be content in whatever situation He places me. And in HIS time. Not mine.
What are you waiting for God to do in your life? While you wait, prepare for what He has coming, dive into His Word, ask Him boldly and specifically, pray for wisdom and discernment, and wait on the Lord.
Spent about an hour today digging in the dirt and loving on my little plant friends. Harvested some lemon balm and chocolate mint leaves and am having myself a delicious little cuppa. With just a splash of honey.
This would be so good as an iced tea, too! Doesn’t look like much, I know. But the flavor packs just the right wallop!
That’s what this post will be all about today because I have one bajillion and forty-seven things rattling around in my brain. Maybe I should have titled this “Brain Dump #687”. Who can relate? I expect to see quite a few hands, friends.
Let’s just dive in, shall we? Chickens. We want chickens. We want a LOT of chickens. ALAS, we live in town, so we can have max 6 chickens. Nope, no room for chicken math here. Just 6. Our biggest obstacle in acquiring these little egg-laying darlings is the coop. No matter which way you spin it, unless you are gifted a coop, you’re going to be dropping some sort of wad on this puppy. I have been blessed with access to an endless supply of pallets, but even with that, there’s going to be a couple hundo in other materials and equipment needed. And that’s just for building the coop. And the last I checked, my rich uncle Maury hadn’t been released from the poor house, yet. Soo…. I have begrudingly pulled back on the task of getting my birds set up this spring. Instead, I will focus on my garden(s) and launching my baking biz and we will gradually work on our coop over the next year or so to be ready for our little darlings next year. Unless some other God-sized awesomeness meets us halfway. It could happen.
I just get so stinking excited to get things up and running, that that is all I focus/obsess on/over and then I get nothing else done. I’m just really ready to be out living my best life on my little farm. Who can blame me? *breathes* I just need to slow my roll and put all that energy into building the bank account to fund it. Heh.
Then there’s the garden. I WANT TO PLANT ALL THE THINGS. But I have one 4×8 bed and several containers. So I cannot plant all the things. Are you seeing a pattern here? Mmkay.
Then there’s my little crochet hustle. I WANT TO CROCHET ALL THE THINGS. Alas, I am one person. I currently have to make, no joke, 30 adorable chicken potholders.
Behold! The cutest chicken potholde/hotpad you ever did see!
But I love it. I am forever grateful and thankful for the gifts the Lord has given me. I have to give my attention to this avenue and figure out where I want to take it. How big do I want to go? Or do I want to go home? #SWIDT. I also want to get a head start on some other items and, of course, as a maker does, start thinking about holiday/seasonal makes! It’s never too early for a maker to be thinking of the holiday season. Especially, those who crochet, sew, and knit. These things take time! But, I digress.
Then, there is the whole dating thing. Good heavens. Dating in your late 40s is ROUGH, my friends. Add into that the fact that I am a diehard Jesus Freak and require the same of my potential spouse, and well. I’m just not sure the pickins can get any slimmer. Fix it, Jesus. But, I know He has a plan for me and it is far better than I can even ask or imagine. So I trust in Him. I will continue to do the work on myself and my relationship with my Father and become the best Ruth for my Boaz. With the trust of Hannah and the faith of Ruth, I press on! Because there has GOT to be some tall, dark, handsome, jack-of-all-trades, burly-ish, godly man looking for me. I JUST KNOW IT. Bless his heart.
And lastly, maybe, is the baking. I WANT TO BAKE ALL THE THINGS. But I need to hunker down and work out a plan. Right now I’m still getting feelers and collecting resources. We’re in the research stage. And by ‘we’, I mean me. For St. Patrick’s Day I had the hair to make something fun to celebrate with our traditional Colcannon and sausage dinner. What better thing than chocolate cupcakes with Irish cream buttercream frosting? It was a great opportunity to practice my cupcake decorating skills. My whole plan and idea for my little baking biz is NOT to do fancy. But simple, classic, and delicious cakes and cupcakes, breads, rolls, and cinnamon rolls and the like. And probably basic cookies. You know, like the kind mom and grandma used to make, but you don’t have time (or know-how) to do. Or, hate to do. Whatever.
Chocolate cupcakes with Irish cream buttercream. SO GOOD.
In the end, it will all work out as it is intended. I serve an awesome & MIGHTY God who loves me and wants the best for me. I continue to put my trust in Him and wait on His perfect timing.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
Here in the Midwest we are still very much in the midst of winter. Spring likes to tease us every few days or so. For instance, today is supposed to reach a high of 71! That’s pre-summer even! But don’t worry, tomorrow will be 58. Then Wednesday will be 30 with a wintry mix. So it’s fine.
I love winter. I know, weird, right? I grew up in the coastal desert area of San Diego. Not the actual coast, though, so it was usually hotter than Hades, because inland. You know, where the rest of us actually lived. I hate hot. I’m definitely more of a fair weather kinda gal. We never experienced seasons growing up, so I’m very happy here in Missouri where we often experience all 4 seasons in a week, sometimes in one day!
For those of us who have been bitten by the gardening bug, we’re chomping at the bit to get our gardens started. We’re drooling over garden plans and seed catalogs, farm & feed store adverts and Pinterest boards. And for those of us who have just recently been allowed to have backyard chickens within city limits, well…I’m sure you can imagine! GIMME ALL THE CHIMKENS!!
source: Google image search
My broke butt is scheming ways to get a coop built/setup for the least amount of money absolutely possible so that I can get my chicks. In addition to making my planting plan, I’ve been researching the various chicken breeds and their respective egg colors. I mean, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right and have beautiful chickens AND beautiful eggs! Amiright? I mean. It’s a really good thing they haven’t passed an ordinance allowing Highland cows….
source: Google image search
It’s been almost a year since my last blog post. Over a year since I started this blog. It had proved to be more overwhelming than I had anticipated. With having to keep up with my regular socials and then adding on a blog? Pfft. What was I thinking? Well, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, so here we are. I just really feel like I’m more motivated than ever to get us out on our farm and that maybe typing out my dreams onto a screen may help me manifest them more. I don’t know. I also really wanted to document all the fun things I have started doing in the kitchen the last few months/year. Maybe it would help inspire and encourage someone else to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. Who knows? I think it would be really cool to help someone else have as much fun as I am having in the kitchen. Because if you aren’t having fun in the kitchen, then my dear friend, you are doing it wrong.
Homemade Cheez Its, anyone?
The more of these ‘back to basics’ things I learn and try, the more I realize that this is truly where I’m meant to be, what I’m lead to do. I long for a peaceful country view out my kitchen window as I wash dishes by hand. I long to hear the crickets and frogs on the front porch. I long to dig my hands in the cool earth and get black dirt under my nails (or red rocky clay, thanks Missouri). I long to go out and greet the ladies in the morning to see if they have blessed us with their fluffy butt nuggets. I even long to get up early (did I say that out loud?) with the cows and get some delicious fresh milk. I want to hear the bray of donkey, the quack of a duck or two, and the bwoks and peeps of my chickens. I can’t wait to see what bounty my garden has yielded. And in a few years, what fruits my orchard has provided. And I pray that the Lord send me a godly man to share all these things with. Including the labor, because let’s be honest, I am only one person and I am NOT known for my work ethic. HA. We must dream but we also must know who we are. I’m just saying. Oh sure. I have Brady who is absolutely itching to be the best ranch hand/farmer/cowboy in the land, but it’s going to take more than just the two of us. I’m ready to fall into bed dead tired from a good and honest hard day’s work. Doing just what God created us to do in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore our cozy little cottage and our time here. But my heart is on the farm.
Not my farm, but a local one that I absolutely adore!
From Cottage to Farmhouse 