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Homesteading is a journey. Some months you accomplish your goals by leaps and bounds. Other months, you fall back a few steps. The important part is to keep working hard to progress forward in your goals. It doesn't happen overnight. Many websites make it seem easy, but it isn't. It takes baby steps to get to the big projects. So, I'm starting this monthly homesteading update to share our progress and setbacks. I hope that you find them useful in your journey of homesteading.    Highlights from October 2021 through July 2022: - We moved into our new home. -...

We had a request for a customized farmhouse table.   The process started out with raw oak wood slabs.     The hubby joined three pieces together to form the table legs.    He joined the table top together. He claims that he needs more clamps, but he is always looking to add to his tool collection!    This is a portion of the tabletop.    The hubby had surgery during this project build and was on lifting restrictions. We were lucky to get some help with the project. Here's a family member using a band saw on the table legs. ...

We have been homeschooling for eight years and I sometimes forget that what we do isn't the same for others. So, I decided to try adding a monthly homeschool recap to this blog to demonstrate one way (there are so many methods out there!) that homeschooling can work.  We use an eclectic method of homeschooling that leans very heavily towards the Charlotte Mason method of teaching. Without going into too much detail about this method, it can be described as very literature-heavy. We read and discuss A LOT of books. We don't spend a lot of time on workbooks, worksheets, etc.,...

When I begin planning for the new schoolyear, I find it helpful to review the successes and failures of the previous year. This allows me to eliminate activities or curriculums that didn't work and refocus our educational methods.  The 2021-22 school year was a busy one for us as a family and we had to make a lot of adjustments to our original plans. Some things turned out well, some things didn't but that is a part of life in general. Here's my recap of the school year:   The Bad 1. Our nature hikes were decreased.  In July 2021,...

A customer requested a wooden checkerboard for a gift. They had an idea of the function but wanted it durable and with a handle for the child to be able to carry around with ease. Here was the inspiration:   This wooden checkers set was partially made from reclaimed wood. The slab was originally a poplar tier rail from an Ohio tobacco barn. It was cut to size and sanded.       The checkerboard was hand painted.      The board was then treated with a water-based polyurethane to give it more durability.   The checkers pieces were purchased,...