If you have been around the blog the last couple of weeks, you might have noticed I have kind of been on a wood kick. It is amazing what you can do with a branch!! When my neighbors first cut down their black walnut tree it broke my heart. But
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Chicken Eggs vs. Duck Eggs
In recent year, many folks have taken more of an interest in where their food comes from and the quality of that food. This phenomenon can be seen in the increase of backyard chicken keeping. There is nothing like collecting your own eggs! You know how the animal is raised,
DIY Painted Wood Slice Ornaments
Over the summer, one of our neighbors cut down a Black Walnut tree. The tree company that dropped it and took it, left behind a big old pile of branches. Instead of letting that wonderful wood waste away, I was going to make something out of some of those beautiful
DIY Log Candlesticks
This summer, one of our neighbors cut down a beautiful Black Walnut tree. They sold the tree to a wood company, because they hated the nuts and black walnut is worth some cash. The tree company that dropped it and took it left behind a big old pile of branches
“Old Fashion” Oven Baked Chex Mix
For me, the holidays just aren’t the holidays without Chex Mix. I grew up in a family that every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my mother would bless us with the yummy goodness of handful after handful of this stuff. When I became an adult, she would gift me a big zip-lock
Organic Purifying Facial Cleanser (Because Homesteading Can Get Dirty)
Let’s face it, if you homestead, you deal with a lot of dirty things. The term “crap happens” is like a homesteader mantra and we mean it literally! What goes in, comes out of critters. And then there is the garden. Every gardener know that dirt don’t hurt, but it
Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
Do you ever get in a dinner rut? You know, the same things keep showing up every week. I am so tired of having the same old, same old, so we have been on a mission to come up with new ideas for dinner time. This week’s recipe is Mexican Tater
How to store Garlic, Onions and Tators (long term)
Weather you grow your own or buy in bulk, you will be faced with how to properly store garlic, onions and potatoes long term. There is nothing worse then spending quality time growing or hard earned money purchasing food and then having it go bad. There are two things I
Molting Season – More than leaves are falling around the coop!
Chickens are adorable as chicks, but then they quickly grow up into roos or egg laying machines. Then one day *POOF* they start dropping feathers everywhere! Usually around 18 month of age a chicken (and you) will experience their first molt. This is a natural process that will occur annually
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month
You might remember that earlier this month we were in the Purina First Egg Happy Dance contest, which we won (thanks to all who voted.) Besides winning chicken feed, we had the chance to get to know one of the other entrants in the contest and her amazing chicken loving son,
Super Easy One Pot Lasagna
This is the easiest 30 minute lasagna you will ever make! And you can make it in a single pot! There is no boiling of the pasta, no layering of ingredients, none of those labor intensive activities. I kid you not, the pasta gets cooked right in the pan! And
Halloween Camping
Every year, for what seems like forever now, our family has an October tradition that some years seems to even overshadow actual Halloween…… Going camping for the Harvestfest weekend at our local state park! Each year more then 200 campsites fill up and it becomes one of the friendliest family
30 Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
In my quest to cook more, I have found I just don’t have the tie to make elaborate meals. I mean who am I kidding, I have a lot to do and I’m sure you do too. That is why this 30 Minute Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs recipe is so great.
Easy DIY Vultures!
A few Christmases back my uncle gave me four pink flamingos. I’m still not sure why he decided I needed four pink birds for my lawn. I don’t particularly care for flamingos or the color pink and frankly, living in Michigan, you don’t see them too often in people’s yards
Meet Cinder!!
This week, the spotlight falls on one of the newer members of our flock, Cinder. She is a Black Jersey Giant that we picked up this spring at just a couple days old from a local feed store. Cinder may not have been around here very long, but she has