Homestead Schoolhouse

As my mom has told me, I learned to read at a fairly young age.  I'm not sure what my earliest memory is exactly, but I can remember being able to read in all of my memories, and for me, it was a rather natural process.  She read to me each night before going to bed, and I was able to pick up much of it from that.  Once I started school, I learned there, but could already read some on my own.    When I was in elementary school, I fell in love with The Babysitters Club  series and somehow, probably through school book fairs, came to own the first several books in the series.  I read and reread them all.  I enjoyed many books and different kinds of stories, but that series is what I credit with making me a reader.  I still have all those books, and my daughter has read the graphic novel versions of the same series.  She owns those and though she has outgrown them, won't part with them.  It's also what made her a reader.  We are h...

  What kind of homesteader would I be if I didn’t have homesteading gift ideas for you?  I want to normalize giving gifts to lots of people but giving the kinds of gifts that don’t cause you to go into debt.  And I know that not everyone would agree, but these types of gifts, the ones that show thoughtfulness and creativity, are the best kind to get.  They far surpass any other gift that can be bought from a store.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not past shopping.  Sometimes I enjoy it!  If I see something in a store that makes me think of you, and it’s within my budget to purchase, I’ll probably get it for you.  That shows thoughtfulness as well.  But there is something extra special about making a gift by hand and putting your own creativity into it.  These are the types of gifts I love to give and receive.  I think giving gifts at any time of year is something we should do for various reasons, but of course, with the Christm...

 To me, Christmas truly is a season and not just a holiday for one day.  Once I became a mom, I wanted Christmas Day to be spent at home with my children instead of running around from house to house.  Within two years of becoming a mom, and after having two children, I got my wish.  Unfortunately, it was due to the deaths of some precious family members, which we all know, can change the trajectory of how things begin to play out within a family.  Still, although I miss them all very much, I would not change what we do.  I love being home with my children on Christmas Day, grazing on "finger foods," watching Christmas movies, and playing with their new toys or trying on new clothes.  Leading up to Christmas Day, however, is when we really make the most memories.  Many years ago, I started to do "The 12 Days of Christmas" activities with my children as part of our celebration.  I would purchase small gifts and put them in their stocking and e...

 A couple of weeks ago, I was working in the garden and noticed a firefly (or lightning bug if you prefer).  It was the first one I had seen of the season, and I couldn't wait to go tell Ean.  He loves to catch them and put them in a jar, or whatever we can find.  We usually try to build an entire habitat to make sure the firefly has food and even water, and sometimes, we catch multiples so they don't get lonely.  Catching fireflies as a child is a good memory for me.  Not all of my childhood memories are good ones.  Is anyone's?  In fact, a lot of my childhood memories aren't great.  Or the ones I can actually remember anyway.  I have vague memories of some things that were unpleasant, but fortunately, the memory often works in my favor.  I just can't always remember the bad stuff. Fireflies though, I remember.  I remember being at Grandma and Grandpa's and catching them in the yard on warm summer nights.  Sometimes, we'd...

    I believe it was Nike that used the motto "Just Do It!"  I recently thought about it when I was listening to a podcast about getting things done.  The guest on the show stated that the longer you wait to do something, the more likely you are to talk yourself out of it, and that you'll never be more ready than you are today.  I think it's good advice, at least for someone like me.  I like to research and learn, but at some point, even if you don't feel ready, I think it's best to just get to work.       I waited for two years to approach leaving my job to be home full time, and once I made the decision, it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  Again, I felt a huge relief once I told everyone at work what my plans were, and no one threw stones at me, but instead congratulated me.  Wait, what?       It happened when I was planning to homeschool as well. I read and researched for two years, bu...

     During my elementary years, I grew up living with my grandparents, who were homesteaders.  At the time, the word "homestead" was not one I was familiar with, although it was a very old word.  Instead, I would say that we lived on a small farm, which was also true.        We raised cattle that would later end up on our table.  We bought hogs from another farm that we'd have slaughtered.  I distinctly remember helping my grandpa make homemade sausage using a hand meat grinder in the basement of our home.  We raised rows and rows of strawberries that my grandparents would sell, and I was happy to help them pick quart after quart to be sold.  And I was paid for my efforts!       I remember a very large garden and breaking beans on the front porch.  I also remember picking tomatoes off the vine and eating them just like I would an apple.  Speaking of apples, my grandpa also had an impress...