Pickles are one of the best items to come out of the garden in my opinion! Years ago, pickling for me was a tedious task that had somewhat unreliable results. Nothing more disappointing than a mushy pickle after you have invested several hours in a hot kitchen and waited weeks to try them! 

So when I stumbled upon fermented pickles I rejoiced! No more hot kitchen, no more hours of labor prepping and canning, and higher nutritional value. Sign me up!

Easter is right around the corner! This happens to be one of my favorite times of year. The Easter bunny will be here soon and watching the kids find eggs always comes with lots of laughs. One thing we don't do on Easter is lots of candy and when the kids already had enough play-doh and matchbox cars I was searching for goodies to put in there!

Last year I tried making egg shaped bath bombs and they were a huge hit with the kids! These bath bombs are infused with essential oils so they come with great calming and immune supporting benefits. The epsom salt helps the body detox and the fizzy citric acid is fun to play with. You can color them with natural dyes by using activated charcoal, pumpkin seed oil or beet powder. They are very easy to customize with what you have on hand. 

I hate to give the coronavirus anymore attention that what it already has. Every news outlet is reporting, my social newsfeeds are packed with it and anyone you speak to is speaking about it. Not to downplay the seriousness of this issue, but the hysteria has really gotten out of hand! 

One of the more surprising outcomes has been the the amount of toilet paper that was snatched up in a matter of days from every store within fifty miles of my house. Now being a homesteader I am normally more prepared for these situations but this time around I was down to a measily six rolls of TP! This amount wouldn't cause me any concern accept the toilet paper isn't getting restocked or if it does people are racing eachother to get to it. Now that's a situation I happily opt out of. 

I don't buy into the scarcity mentality. I also don't like to depend on outside sources for my needs. So I decided the best way to avoid the chaos and regain some control and independence was to make my own toilet paper! I know some of you are going to think "Ew! Gross!" and I completely understand your reaction. I would have felt the same way before I had kids. Those little germballs sure do alter your way of thinking. 

It's an exciting time of year as everyone begins to look toward the future and set their intentions for the new year. Some like to call them resolutions, but I have never felt good about using that term. Instead I like to sit and meditate during the week after Christmas. This is a good time for me to visualize and set goals. I begin to form a mental picture of what the new year will look like for me personally, with our farm, and our family. I always add essential oils to my routine, whether it be for a specifc meditation or for an intentionial daily support we need.

This new years eve also brings a new decade. What a wonderful new beginning! With all the excitement I decided to sit down and create six special diffuser blends for the new decade! Bring on 2020!

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Farm husband and I took our oldest son out hunting this past weekend. We used to hunt regularly but once we began building our home two years ago, we haven't had the time. Hunting is something we both enjoy doing and has been a part of our lives since we first met. There is a huge sense of pride to harvest an animal and "bring home the bacon" to your family.

​This fall was my first ever antelope hunt. Antelope are not very large creatures and I have heard mixed things as far as taste goes. With a freezer newly stocked in beef, I decided to give sausage making a try! I was always intimidated by the process, but I found it to be quite simple once I decided which blends we would try!