Have I always been a prepper homesteader?No.I have been a prepper homesteader for at least the last ten years and maybe longer. I have been wanting to be a homesteader for a lot longer than that. I would read and re-read the Little House on the Prairie books as a kid (and as an adult). I have always loved reading about early Iowa settlers and what they had to do to survive and thrive. I find their stories absolutely fascinating. As…
One of the ways we have tried to be more self-sufficient to live a more self-sustainable life. We try to produce our own food, raise chickens, recycle, reuse what we can, and generally live life without being consumer-driven. It is not an easy life to live all the time, but the pay off is great!One of the things I hate is how much trash we throw away. I know we throw away less trash than most households, but all the…
I am often asked how I get things done. I know I am a single mother with busy kids so that means I have to get things done. Of course, I enlist my kids into helping because, most of the time, it is their mess. At the end of the day, though, most of the work falls on me to keep the house running smoothly and to get things done.I often don’t feel like doing anything. Morning is my best…
One day this last Spring, I saw sweet potato slips at the local greenhouse. I wanted them. I love sweet potatoes and thought it would be a great addition to my winter food supply.However, I have planted sweet potatoes before. They looked like they did really well until I went to dig them and couldn’t find them. I found a never ending system of roots, but no tubers. I wasn’t a happy camper.Then I heard about planting sweet potatoes in…
Fall has come and now it is time to get those projects done! Time to button up the homestead, secure the buildings, and make sure all the peoples and animals are going to be warm and safe for the winter.This could be the time for panic or you can just simply do what you can do in the time that you have. I choose the second one. I know I have at least one good month left to do what…
Ahh…August. August is one of my favorite months. Everything is green, growing, blooming, ready for harvest, and/or starting to die. The kids start back to school and activities are already in full swing. These pictures would be a day in the life and what is going on around the homestead in August. First of all, it was the first day of school for Paige and Dane. Paige starts 9th grade and Dane starts 5th grade. Shali and Jordan also started…