Should You Get Chicks This Year? A Down-Home Guide to Deciding Every spring, the feed stores start filling up with those irresistible little bundles of fluff—chirping away in their warm brooders, just waiting for someone to take them home. Raising chickens in the backyard is a very popular hobby these days. If you’re anything like me, you stand there for…
Grocery prices keep climbing, but that doesn’t mean your budget has to. With some smart shopping strategies, you can keep your grocery bill in check without sacrificing quality meals for your family. The key? Shopping sales, meal planning, and using grocery pick-up to avoid impulse buys. Here’s how to make the most of your frugal grocery budgeting while still enjoying…
As August rolls in, the countdown to the first day of school begins, which means it’s time for back-to-school clothes shopping. This task has become more intricate now that my kids are tweens and fashion-conscious. They have clear “yes” and “no” lists for what they’ll wear and what they won’t, adding an extra layer of complexity. Where to Start – Make A…
I’ve written before how much I love living in a small town. It’s safer, it’s cheaper and we have so much more control over our lives. There is a downside, however. The biggest one is access to all those fascinating things big-city people take for granted. Like shopping, new movies and people who know to pronounce “tahini” correctly (and have it…
We started last February with tiny baby chicks and now we have full sized chickens laying eggs! It’s very exciting for the kids to go out every day and check for eggs in the nesting boxes. Since my last post about moving the chickens to the coop, there has been a lot of growing and many adventures! We were away…
This past week has been a busy one! Graduation at the local high school means lots of preparations, events, and parties! During the graduation ceremony, all I could think about was how much closer I’ve gotten to being there as a parent. Ok, it’s 7 years away. But I have a feeling that those seven years will go by faster…
Every Memorial Day Weekend, we drive across the state to my mother’s hometown and spend the weekend with family and friends doing all the Memorial Day activities. We decorate all the graves at the cemetery (some are over 100 years old!), tell the stories of our family history and honor all those family members who have served in the military. It’s…
If you’re a new gardener, welcome to the wild and wonderful world of dirt, sunlight, and the occasional slug. It might feel overwhelming at first—especially when people start tossing around terms like “soil composition” or “growing zones” like you’re supposed to know what that means. One minute you’re thinking, Hey, I kept a bean plant alive in second grade, and…
Let’s talk about my yard: I love my home—but gardening here? That’s a different story. My house sits on the top of a hill (great for flood insurance, not great for carrots), and the entire yard is a mix of grass and moss. And when I say moss, I mean the kind that laughs at your dreams of tomatoes. But…
Back in January, we took the plunge into backyard chicken life. Fast-forward a few chaotic, feather-filled months, and our once-fluffy chicks are now full-on tweens with opinions, sass, and an impressive ability to poop. This past month brought a major milestone: the big move from the garage brooder to their outdoor coop. But—as with all things homestead—Mother Nature had other…