Lisa MatthewsFeb 1, 2016baking, cooking, DIY, make-it-Monday, pantry staples, Uncategorized
The list of items we are dependent on the grocery store for keeps shrinking. I ran low on confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) while baking this past weekend, so it was the perfect to try making my own. I have read how easy it is to do, but had not...
Lisa MatthewsJan 25, 2016DIY, homesteading, make-it-Monday, rabbits, recycle, repurpose, Uncategorized
We have now had our rabbits for a year. We have raised several babies, and learned many lessons on the best way to care for them. Most recommend that the rabbits be given all the hay they want to eat and limit the amount of pellets the receive to...
Lisa MatthewsJan 18, 2016dishwasher tabs, DIY cleaning products, make-it-Monday, Uncategorized
I make most of my own cleaning products. This way I know exactly what is in them, and it is much more budget friendly. There are a few staples that I buy that I combine to make everything else. Dishwasher detergent is one of the biggest challenges I...
Lisa MatthewsJan 11, 2016baking, cooking, make-it-Monday, pantry staples, Uncategorized
I’m always looking for ways to cut the grocery bill and decrease the number of things I depend on the grocery store for. One of the best and easiest things I’ve found so far is making my own brown sugar. It is so simple and eliminates the need...
Lisa MatthewsJan 10, 2016advice, balance, homesteading, lifestyle, Uncategorized
In my last post of December 2015, I spent some time reflecting on some struggles that I have been having since Papa got sick last summer, and began looking at the ways I had let myself get off balance. I had gotten off balance with myself, off balance with our...
Lisa MatthewsJan 1, 2016balance, homesteading, lifestyle, stress, Uncategorized
Today has been a challenging day, to say the least. As I sit tonight, on the last day of 2015, and think about the day, and the past year, I began searching for balance. Balance has been missing for me for awhile. It has been a trying year, full...
Lisa MatthewsSep 14, 2015Uncategorized
Last spring we had the opportunity to buy a couple of Landrace sows well worth the money, so we bought one and our son and his wife bought another. The plan is to have the sows kept at our sons and when the piglets are big enough to wean, they will be moved...
Lisa MatthewsJun 28, 2015compost, garden, gardening, mulch, Uncategorized
We have used several gardening methods in the past and this year we decided to go back to the one technique that proved to be the easiest to care for and appears to have provided the absolutely best harvests we ever had. Two years ago we used a mulching...
Lisa MatthewsMay 26, 2015calf, cow, cream separating, dairy, milking, Uncategorized
It’s taken me a while to sit down and post this, but Serena blessed us with a beautiful Jersey Bull calf on Mother’s Day! Not only do we have a fine, healthy calf, that will eventually become steaks and hamburgers, but we also now have a massive supply of...
Lisa MatthewsApr 29, 2015Uncategorized
After butchering in March, we used a beautiful April afternoon and set things up to render the fat into cracklin’s and lard. A friend had her fat stored in the freezer, so we got together invited a few friends and had a good old-fashioned Lard...
