family

Don’t Miss This! Amazing LanternFest Experience

floating lanterns lantern fest experience
June 8, 2018

Almost two months ago, I read about the LanternFest. It’s an event where everyone gets to send up their own floating lantern into the sky with a few thousand other people. I’ve seen them in movies and documentaries, but the idea of attending one myself was too much to resist. We had to have this LaternFest experience! One quick search…

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Frugal Living, Writing

Wal-Mart Grocery Pick Up Service – Review

review of grocery pick up service
June 2, 2018

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…

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Writing

Life Happens

Hedgetoad Cottage with chickens
May 30, 2018

Every morning I wake up with a to-do list on my mind. Some days the list is done and some days, it’s forgotten two minutes after I’ve walked out the door. That’s just the way it works sometimes. The end of this month has been a busy one. We’ve traveled across the state twice – once with massive amounts of…

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garden

New Gardener? 5 Easy Vegetables That Practically Grow Themselves

5 easy vegetables to grow
May 15, 2018

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…

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Writing

What I’m Watching

Hedgetoad Cottage with chickens
May 8, 2018

When Netflix first started, I jumped on it! Finally, I could “rent” a movie and not rack up $30 in late fees because I kept forgetting to take the damn movie back. By that time, I basically never rented movies because of those damn lates. With Netflix, I could the movie for a month and they didn’t care one bit!…

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garden

Build A Raised Garden Bed on a Hill

A raised garden bed with black weed block
May 6, 2018

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…

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Chickens

Moving to the New Coop – Raising Chickens

raising chickens
May 2, 2018

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…

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blogging

Getting to Know… Me!

April 28, 2018

I’ve been writing this for a few months now, so I thought to do something that gave you a little more insight into who I am by answering a few questions. If this is the first time you’ve visited, you can also read my “About Me” page!  On with the questions! When was the last time you cried? This morning.…

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family

Unique Mother’s Days Gifts for A Unique Mom

spring blossom
April 22, 2018

Mother’s Day is sneaking up fast, and if your Pinterest feed looks anything like mine, it’s already overflowing with adorable handmade gift ideas. And don’t get me wrong—I absolutely love those sweet, crafty treasures (I’ve kept every one). But let’s be honest… moms also appreciate the kind of gifts we’d never buy for ourselves because we’re too busy budgeting for…

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garden

Spring Break – Getting My Garden In

April 20, 2018

This past week, we’ve been on Spring Break. I’ve been watching Facebook posts of all our friends traveling to warm places or cruises. While I love warm places, I haven’t had a single incident of FOMO. Instead, I’ve been catching up with everything that’s been put off outside because of nearly a month a rain. We had a storm system…

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