We're All in This Together

 There's been a sharp turn of events over the last week or so.

An eerie sense of unpredictability looms over us,

and many are living with day-to-day anxiety over the uncertainty.

While the most natural response might be

to pull the covers up over you and hibernate in front of a warm fire,

there is another way to reframe this unexpected circumstance.

Embrace it.

homemade ACV

 It may sound crazy,

but it is possible to find a silver lining in all the madness.

While I understand that everyone's world has pretty much

been turned upside-down,

good things can come from this situation.

For one thing,

I'm hoping that more folks will realize that

we are in this together.

Therefore, we need to help each other in any way we can.

That may mean meeting your neighbors for the first time,

bartering for food staples or services,

or something as simple as enjoying more family time.

With most of the country hunkering down,

we can all do something to make things better.

Healthy interdependence makes us stronger.

our humble homestead

 

No need to leave the house to improve your lot.

Learn a new skill like crocheting, seed starting or food prep.

Even better, teach these skills to others, especially kids.

What a valuable lesson these times are

for the younger generation to learn that although times can be tough,

we are tougher.

Getting back to basics is one of the simplest ways

to deal with any type of adversity.

No matter the struggle,

taking things a step at a time,

one day at a time,

is always a smart move.

Ensuring that your family has healthy food to eat,

clean water to drink, and a feeling of belonging,

can aid in getting through the worst of times.

It may seem too simplistic,

but that's only because we have complicated things.

Is there anything quite as beautiful as a sunrise,

knowing that you've been granted an extra day

to do what you like,

surrounded by those you love?

Leaning into mindfulness can become

one of the healthiest habits for each of us.

Focusing on the moments of joy

when reading a great novel, being swept up in music,

or engaging with others can bring a sense

of peace and purpose.

We are so blessed to be on this homesteading journey.

Although we are not as far along as some,

we are able to do quite well in times of trouble.

It is never too late to begin.

The lessons we've learned through the years

have allowed us to truly believe

that we will get through this, together.

Here's hoping that you and yours

are feeling the comfort of knowing that 

everything

 is 

                         temporary...

God bless us, everyone.

~daisy

Moving Toward Bliss

This was the rental house we leased for 6 months

while we did our house hunting.

We moved up to North Carolina in December,

relocating from Central Florida.

We moved into our house last week

and bid adieu to this 100-year old home.

I can't say we'll miss it.

There were a number of issues in renting a place that old,

but we made the best of it and muddled through.

The bad thing about leaving,

is that my tomatoes were coming along quite nicely.

 The Romas were growing well and will probably be ready

for picking in a couple of weeks.

I may just sneak by there and pilfer a few in the dark of night

and hope the new renters don't call authorities should I get caught.

 One thing that I've learned is that if you move to get away from something,

you'll never be content in your new surroundings.

It's more advantageous to move toward something,

something that will grow your spirit

and help you appreciate every single day here on this earth.

So,when the first movers never showed on moving day,

we went to plan B and found The Bellhops.

They did a smashing job, working over 6 hours to get our household relocated,

despite the fact that the lift gate on their truck was not working.

This meant that they had to lift lots of heavy stuff up and over the truck threshold.

A second truck with a working lift gate was called into action,

so that we could move our refrigerator, tool box, and lawn mower. 

 This is what we woke up to on Friday morning.

Even though we had purged many items

and sold off or gave away some of our furniture in Winter Haven,

we still had all this stuff with which to contend.

Our new home, at 1400 square feet,

has about four hundred less square footage.

More paring down will be necessary.

We are embracing simplicity and minimalism.

Truth be told, I am welcoming it,

the boys are still wrestling with the idea of parting with some things.

With cool mornings still lingering,

I decided to tackle as much of the chaos as I could get done before lunch.

I set up my tent as a staging area,

so that I could easily define where items would go.

This is a great way to go through items when organizing spaces.

It gives you a boundary, so that you can visualize the amount of room you will have.

 Always focused on recycling and reusing,

I set up empty boxes to house packing paper, foam and bubble wrap.

These can easily be sorted.

 Some boxes were broken down and folded flat.

Larger boxes, like the wardrobe size, are left intact.

All the boxes and materials were offered on Craig's List for free

so that others can reuse them and then pass them on. 

After all, there is always someone moving.

 We'll have a lot of materials to give away,

and the boxes are not yet all unpacked.

This process will be repeated until everything is where it should be.

I'm pleased with this morning's work.

We can now get to the mower

and the stash of items we took down from the walls

to sell on Craig's List.

Let the posting begin.

Slowly but surely, it's coming together

and I am really enjoying the process of simplifying our homestead.

More organizing posts will be coming in the next few weeks

as we refashion this home to be our very own.

It's a humbling and appealing procedure.

This neighborhood is quiet and secluded.

This is what greeted me yesterday morning.

She found the apple tree.

Yes, we are moving toward bliss with every step.

Hope you are feeling your blessings today.

New House series:
The New Homestead
Organized Downsizing
Fan-TASTIC
A Fresh Look
Under the Spell of IKEA
Closet Project

Simple Frozen Yogurt (With No Machine)

Although it's officially autumn,
we're still having temperatures in the 80's,
so we haven't yet traded in our frozen treats 
for hot chocolate and warm cider.

I've been wanting to make this for a while.
We don't own an ice cream maker,
and since we like to keep things simple around here,
don't plan on buying another appliance that performs just one duty.
There were several recipes found online,
but this one was the simplest and easiest.

 This is all you need to make homemade frozen yogurt.
Plain or vanilla yogurt, frozen fruit and a food processor. 
Honey or stevia could be added for sweetening,
but we kept it as basic as possible. 


The method couldn't be simpler.
Place yogurt in ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours.

Add your fruit to the processor first, it helps with the mixing.
(We added about 1/2 C.)
Next, add in your frozen yogurt cubes.
(We used one filled ice cube tray.)
Whiz away!
You may have to process it in a couple of batches,
or even add a dash of your choice of milk to aid in the blending.

before freezing

 We returned the mixed concoction to the original yogurt container
and placed it in the freezer.
You could also add in chocolate chips, coconut, 
crumbled cookie bits or nuts at this point.
Give it a stir every 15 minutes for about an hour.
That's it!

It's good to know that something so tasty
is so easy to make.
Enjoy! 



 



 

Thrifty Thursday-Wrapper Recycle

Happy Birthday Big K!
We are SO glad you were born!

*******

Living simply means that we try to get the most out of what we have,
and try to find other purposes for common items.
This helps foster respect for the blessings in our lives,
and saves us time and money to boot.

Here's an idea that was too good not to share.

We purchase our recycled paper towels at the grocery store.

We've gotten better about using them less,

and one day I would love to go paperless in the kitchen! 

One step at a time...

In order to get more out of the packaging,

we cut off the top...

and use it to line our bathroom garbage can.

We do the same thing with our toilet paper wrappers.

No need to buy plastic liners,

and the item serves double duty.

Less money to spend,

less to keep track of,

and less waste in the landfill.

The extras are kept in a repurposed tissue box under the bathroom sink.
It makes it easy to pull out a new one
when it needs replacing.
So grateful for others who embrace simplicity,
and keep the great ideas coming!

                     

Why I Read the Little House Series

I've always been a reader.
Since I was young, I've had favorite books
that transported me to places I knew I'd never see.
One special moment came in the 4th grade
when I was leaving my beloved teacher and class behind
to move to Florida with my family.
We'd been reading  
Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach
and savoring every page.
When my teacher awarded me the book,
signed by her,
I felt about 10 feet tall.
I still have that book.

Books can serve as reminders of where life can take us.
No matter our circumstances,
we can overcome anything to create our dream life.
It's possible 
because authors make those dreams come true. 

I don't remember reading The Little House Series
when I was coming up.
Not sure if it wasn't in the curriculum
or if teachers in those days chose the books we read.
One thing I know for sure though.
I'm so glad I discovered them in my 50's.
Yeah, I'm 55 and I read (present tense) the Little House Series.
There is something so compelling about them.
They connect me to the part of myself
that I like the best, the homsteader in me.

Here are a few reasons why they are so dear:

1.  Historical significance-
I'm a sucker for anything having to do with American history, especially pioneering times.
It's amazing what families had to endure to settle themselves
in the old West.  From the wagon trains to staking a claim,
to living out their lives on their own homestead in a hand-hewn cabin, 
I marvel at the resilience of the early pioneers.

2.  The homesteading philosophy-
Starting a homestead from scratch meant that settlers had to make do with what was available.  
That meant keeping things as basic as possible, 
as well as using what Mother Nature provided to survive.
This included everything from the cabin's construction materials, to the food they ate, 
to making sure water was readily accessible.

3.  Integrity in action-
 As self-reliance was paramount to survival, homesteaders had to have an impeccable work ethic. 
Folks took pride in their tasks, whether baking bread or shoeing horses.  
Everyone was a specialist, and yet most homesteaders had to be proficient at many skills.

4.  Everyone's job was valued-
Along with becoming adept at skills, each contributor was esteemed for their contributions to the society as a whole.  Those who wanted to learn were taught by folks who felt pride in the passing on of knowledge.
Both teachers and students were highly regarded
and natural learning was a way of life. 

5.  Appreciation for the simple things-
Having a tidy home and a well-organized homestead showed that one's possessions were prized 
and had only been acquired by hard work and determination.  
A bag of flour or sugar (or nails) was a valuable thing in a time 
when nothing was promised to anyone in the new territory.
Family time together was most cherished, 
as the majority of waking hours were spent working and keeping the homestead up and running.

6.  Living with the seasons-
Whether haying, gardening, tapping trees or harvesting, 
homesteaders had to learn to tailor their work according to the time of year.  
Their diet was also adapted to what could be grown, preserved or stored, 
depending on the climate and weather.  
Staying in tune with Mother Nature ensured that they could not only survive, 
but thrive through the harshest of conditions.

For these reasons and more, I will keep on rereading 
The Little House on the Prairie books.
If you've never read this series,
I strongly urge you to consider adding it to your must-read list.
If it's been a while since you've enjoyed the Little House books,
think about revisiting Laura and her family.
You might just learn something new.

 
source