Hey Hey! Welcome to HedgeToad Cottage!

So glad you’re here! Really. I’m starved for a conversation that doesn’t involve the word “Minecraft” or a discussion of the newest lip-sync app. I want to talk chickens, gardening, crafting, hiking, paint colors and flooring options. Or just pull up a chair and watch the world go by for a while.

What is a HedgeToad?

I am! And two of my mom’s cousins.

When I was very young, we had a game where we would each try to call each other “HedgeToad” last, before leaving the family gathering for home. We had many, many family gatherings with dozens of people. It was easy for as a small child to feel like I was lost in a sea of legs. More than 40 years later, even I’m no longer lost in a sea of legs, we’re still doing this. Even on Facebook. It seemed fitting to name my house after this family nickname.

What is on this site?

You’ll find posts on gardening and landscaping, home DIY projects, cooking, raising tweens and family life, all on a realistic budget. Honestly, who buys $100 pillows? For a couch? You don’t even sit on them, for Pete’s sake. Plus, you can make them for a third of that price? Although, I do love a good deal and have been known to wait for a sale. Then I can crow to everyone about getting that $100 pillow for $5.

Back to the point, this is a gathering place of information for living imperfectly and enjoying it!

About Me – The Personal Stuff

I was raised in a family that made stuff. It was cheaper that way. Using what we had around the house or barn or pasture. Every spring a garden was planted and every summer, we weeded. My first job was picking potato bugs for a penny a bug. In August, we canned and made jam from the produce. We butchered chickens and made venison hamburger and sausage. I learned to sew with a needle at age four. According to my mother, it kept me occupied and out of her hair. She did not care if I stabbed myself, because “I’d learn so enough not to do that.” I’m guessing I was just a tad precocious.

My family’s idea of traditional parenting seemed to have involved a lot of “use your imagination” and “go outside”. We climbed trees, told scary stories and learned how to get honey from a honeysuckle flower. We camped, fished and picked berries for fun. I helped build rock walls, stack wood. I even had to learn how to change a tire and the oil in order to get my driver’s license. The world has changed a lot since those days, but those skills have come in handy when I started to create my dream haven home for me and my kids.

It’s a lot of work. But I want my kids to have the same good memories. Those memories are the foundation I want to build our family life upon. We’re planting our own gardens, building chicken coops and thinking of building rock walls like my grandpa did; I’m also painting, repairing, installing, and figuring out what to do with weird walls and second staircases, my new old house. It’s life.

Want to know more? Check out the Blogger Q & A

Join me on my adventures and share yours on my facebook page!

Questions? email jana@hedgetoadcottage.com