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I have had a conflicting relationship with the idea of making my own bread. I love the idea of it but have struggled with turning it into practice. I am writing this piece in case you are experiencing similar feelings regarding baking your own bread.  Baking bread should be a simple task. It is discussed in the Bible and every other historical book published as a common activity that anyone could accomplish. Despite our many modern conveniences, I have found that it isn't quite that simple.  I love the smell of fresh baked bread. I love the memories of watching...

We were commissioned to make a sword and shield set for two brothers that had recently been adopted into a loving family. We were excited to be a part of this special occasion!   The customer wanted the pieces to be the same but yet a bit different. The hubby designed and created two sets of swords and shields. One set was made from white oak from logs procured from a local business. The other set was made from cherry wood obtained from boards found in an old barn.    The pieces were treated with wood conditioner, painted and given...

We have been homeschooling for many 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.,...

  Years ago, when my oldest kids were just babies, I attended a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting. A presenter was there who talked about homeschooling. I don't remember all of the details of her speech, but there were a few words that stuck with me. She stated that they chose to homeschool "because they wanted to live life together as a family". It has been many years, so please forgive me if the quote isn't her exact wording, but you get the point.  I began to consider what it meant to "live life together". In my mind, it is...

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.    November - We continued harvesting fiber from our french angora rabbits. This is a simple process...