Design ideas and instruction for home and garden projects such as planting an herb garden, starting seeds indoors, and insect repelling plants.
I started my “mom blog” when my kids were little, which seems like eons ago. My goals were two-fold: write out my real life tested recipes and how-to guides for my kids and family, and document my journey toward a more simple life. I tackled one thing in my house at a time in order...
Depending on where you live, a lot of us in Northern America start our winter planting by the end of February. I write out what I liked and what I want to change, what I’d like to try for the new year and then gather seeds. I seed start our veggies, flowers, and herbs in...
I’ve had a lot of people buy handmade soap bars from my shop over the past few years to use as a dog shampoo bar. Handmade body or shampoo bars are actually great as shampoo bars for dogs. I’ve used some of my shampoo bars and body bars as dog shampoo bars for years. I...
Even though we work hard to choose better food for ourselves, a lot of the time we forget to look at ingredients when it comes to our pets. Did you know you can make dog treats? You’ve probably heard the argument that spending a little but of money now on your health (buying and growing...
We had three blessed years with chickens before having any problems. During those three years we had to butcher mean roosters, but we didn’t have any ailments. No sicknesses, no sores, no parasites. No need to study and use herbal remedies for chickens. It was great! If you’re wanting to get started with backyard chickens...
If you’ve never grown herbs, now is your time to harvest herbs and dry and store them for use around the year. Even before I had any garden space, I was growing herbs in my kitchen and in small spots outside and up against the house; basically any space available! If you’d like to get...
I recently wrote all about how to get started making maple syrup. I discussed what equipment to use, what type of trees to tap, and when to tap them. You can learn all about how to get started here. Today I’m going to discuss how to make maple syrup from the sap that was collected....
It’s time to make maple syrup again! Growing up, I always wanted to make my own maple syrup. I wondered why I never tried before, but then I realized that until recently, the only time I owned property with trees was when my children were little. And having children months apart doesn’t always leave room...
I’m getting ready to start seed planting and the first step is to make potting soil! I’m always excited each year to plan out the year’s garden and get my seeds started. February starts and I pull out my packets of seeds that I saved from last year and then order any seeds I need....
If you’re just getting started with chickens, then check out my article on How to Start Raising Chickens in Your Back Yard. Once you have a general idea of what it takes, then the next step is to decide which breed of chicken you should buy and then how to get them. Buying chickens can...
Once you have everything you need, you can start raising chickens very easily. As long as they are safe and their coop and run is kept pretty clean, you basically make sure they are fed in the morning, fed in the evening, and the door is shut at dark. Yes, there are more details, but...
Have you ever tried real stevia extract? Homemade Stevia extract is actually quite easy to make and only needs two ingredients and a few simple steps. Now, the reason I ask if you’ve tasted it before is because stevia really does have a very unique aftertaste. Most people do not know that, because all they...
If you use it, we can probably make it. A natural bug spray is easy to make with essential oils. After all, we already know that a lot of plants will repel insects. If you want a huge list on that, check out 20 Insect Repelling Plants. You can plant these plants around your yard...
If you haven’t started a garden, then it’s a great idea to start now. Diesel prices have literally doubled in one year. This means that trucks needing to transport food must be double the amount. This will transfer to food prices. We’ll continue to see prices increase across the board. Learning how to start a...
I’ve added to this article to give you more details and resources for how to plan a garden. Planning for Spring planting is one of the things I love about winter. There can be a lot to think about, even for someone with a small garden or kitchen garden. This seed planning guide is put...
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