Homesteading

Spring in a Jar ~ Redbud Jelly

Foraging and trying new things are activities that I’ve enjoyed since moving to the country nearly fifteen years ago. Spring in the Ozarks is glorious and it’s my favorite time to go exploring around the farm. I’ve written about some of my adventures, and even wrote about foraging for redbuds and phlox several years ago …

The Thrill of the Hunt!

Morels are funny-looking little mushrooms, and very well camouflaged. I was so excited one spring when I finally developed my “morel eyes.” I’d gone hunting for them the previous few years without any success. Maybe I was out too early, or too late, but I just didn’t find any.  Several years ago, one of my …

Simple Pleasures ~ Fruit Trees

Simple Pleasures ~ Fruit Trees

Some of my childhood memories involve fruit trees, so my love for them must have started young. I remember when I first learned to ride a bike and called my mom out to watch. Maybe you guessed it – I rode right into a cherry tree! At that same house where we lived when I …

Watching Paint Dry

Watching Paint Dry - Painting Drawers

Do you like watching paint dry? Actually, I do. That expression usually refers to something boring, but when you’ve been dreaming of having a new laundry room for years, it’s far from it. When the time finally came, I got to think through all of the different tasks I’d want to use the room for …

A Gardener Gets Her House Painted

A Gardener Gets Her House Painted

Our house has needed a makeover for a very long time, but even as I longed for it, I imagined workmen tromping around on the plants that I’d been nurturing. Any time my husband and I’s conversation turned to the subject of this outdoor project, I started talking about the limited time frame that I …

No More Broken Windows

No More Broken Windows

Are you familiar with the Broken Window theory? It was authored by two social scientists, James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, who basically asserted that each problem that goes neglected in an environment affects peoples’ attitudes toward that environment potentially leading to additional neglect, or worse. We’ve lived in our current home for over ten years. …

Gearing Up for Gardening Season

Gearing Up for Gardening Season

The emergence of my favorite plants from their winter slumber, and catching the scent of damp earth, make my green thumb awaken from its winter rest. I feel like I understand how it feels for the sap to start rising in the trees, as my energy level starts to rise and my mind brims with …

Thanksgiving Every Day

Thanksgiving Every Day

One of the things I love about living on a homestead, is feeling a closer connection to God’s provision. While I still visit the grocery store to pick up a few things now and then, that list has dwindled over the years since we moved to the country. I feel gratitude while growing, foraging, and preserving …

Garden in Review

Every year starts out the same, full of hope and anticipation. In spring I watch expectantly as the perennials revive from their winter dormancy, and the bulbs push their way through the soil. I’m excited to see what plants survived the winter, whether newcomers fit in, and how the different colors and forms of flowers …

From Tree to Table ~ Homemade Applesauce

From Tree to Table ~ Homemade Applesauce

My friends and I are having an Around the Harvest Table blog party, with each of us contributing a dish to the fall-themed dinner, and you’re invited! At the end of this post are links to the other dishes, making it easy to visit each of them. The Challenge I had a hard time deciding …