“You gotta do things you’ve never done to get things you’ve never had.” The concept was burned into my brain by a horsemanship mentor years ago. I filed the pithy wisdom into the section of my brain reserved for “horse information.” Yet I later realized it wasn’t about at horses at all— it was about life. Every nook and cranny of the internet is currently filled with chatter about new year goals, resolutions, anti-goals, ...Continue Reading
My Annual Homestead Planning Strategy
My favorite week of the entire year is upon us. I don't know why, but there's something magical about the in-between time from after-Christmas to mid-January, when the world is in a cheese-and-sugar-induced-stupor. It always makes me giddy to plan for the upcoming year. The air is thick with possibilities. I've been camped out by the woodstove for the past few days ruminating, dreaming, and planning. I have no interest in ...Continue Reading
Three Homestead Deals for Black Friday 2023
I have a love/hate relationship with Black Friday. Being a consumer has never been my end goal. Sure, I buy things and yes, I even sell stuff. But I’m more drawn to wide open prairies than crowded malls. I’d rather spend a day baking bread and riding horses than shopping for the latest styles. I’m more interested in stocking my long-term pantry than filling my house with random, trendy gadgets. Yet... while I avoid ...Continue Reading
The Best Garden Salsa
My tomato crop has been out of this world this year... I've had bigger yields, earlier ripening, and sweeter tomato fruit than any year prior. Maybe it's the rye cover crop I planted in the beds last fall... Or maybe it's sheer luck? But regardless, it's October and I'm still drowning in tomatoes. It's been an exercise in finding how many creative ways to eat and preserve tomatoes... We’ve been making ...Continue Reading
Old-Fashioned on Purpose is HERE!
85,000 words, 6 months writing the manuscript, 4+ months of pulling my hair out over edits, 2 photo shoots, 3 days recording the audio book, 56 podcast interviews discussing the content. This project has changed me forever. And today Old-Fashioned on Purpose FINALLY makes its way into the world! To celebrate, I want to share a few of my favorite quotes from the book: “The more I turned to these old-fashioned practices, the ...Continue Reading