Hands-On Homestead

Being that its just after the first of the year. We always hear about resolutions and how different things are going to be in the new year. In one way or another. We will dive into that topic and cover some of my opinions and thoughts on that as well as share a recipe that Ashley tried in her new Instant Pot and hopefully get you motivated to push in a new direction or just give you a little nudge toward something you have always wanted to do.   Homestead updates…. January in Illinois. Snow on the ground and the temps falling into the teens next week at some point. We did get about 7 inches of snow over the weekend. It’s always crazy the drifts that you can encounter when driving. Sometimes you may think “ I can make that” but then the next one may get you to turn around and head back. It’s almost a guessing game depending on how hard the wind is blowing. The next day is always fun too after the drifts settle in for the night and the plows are off the road. I did get the snowblower out. That old thing keeps going. Nothing fancy but it clears a path.  My goal for next year is to have a snow blade of some sort either on my pick-up or on the garden tractor. AND the struggles of getting the Christmas decorations down. Yeah I know it should already be done but the tree was so nice to have up. It is now taking over our living room with its shedding needles and droopiness. Need to get it outside as soon as today. WoodShop the workshop is slowly getting some work done to it. With Ashley working full time and me working two jobs and also being new parents it gets hard to find the time but, you have to work for what you want, hence today’s episode right?  I do have a few wood working projects in the schedule. Food and Family Ashley got a new Instant Pot for Christmas and she has been loving it!  It seems to take the time and cut it into a third on some recipes. I think this thing was done in under 45 mins from frozen chicken! The Chicken was frozen in our deep freeze, we had bought a couple whole chickens a few weeks back and learned how to butcher them. As a side note, we saved the bones to make broth with for a later time. We are going to to try and make some and can it in pint jars so she can use it in smaller amounts since it's only the two of us.  She made a Chicken Pot Pie recipe that she found online, and I have to tell you it was amazing!! She changed it up a little bit. Ill have a link in the show notes to the edited recipe that Ashley customized and also one to the original. Emma came up on 5 months old on the 13th of January. She’s going so fast. It’s hard to believe that she’s out of her newborn clothes and moving up sizes so fast. It really seems like Ashley was just going to be pregnant forever, but now I can’t really remember what it was like before having her. It is an amazing thing to be a parent.  Thankfully she still likes her naps so it gives me time to get this podcast out to you. I’m sure soon enough you will hear her little voice on here. I can’t wait to be able to talk to her and see her have her own ideas. But for now, we will have to take everyday for as special as it is. Main Topic: New beginnings or starting over is never easy. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just because you have time on your hands to do something that it will come easy. I have been caught in this trap many times. And as new parents, we never have the time that we think we do. Everything starts out with good intentions. That’s where all the best Ideas come from, right? Then need to change. invention truly is the child of necessity, not to sure where that quote came from but it’s as relevant as ever. Happy new year! Maybe I should have started with that. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a great and safe new year’s eve! I spent new years eve ringing in the new year with my family in my recliner, studying the back side of my eyelids.

Learning hands-on homesteading one day at a time. This is what we are all about on our small homestead. Learning how to grow our own food, preserve the food that we grow and learn to prepare meals for our family a little closer to the way nature intended. Learning how to take care of ourselves and our children, keeping a solid roof over our heads, doing the tough work ourselves, saving money and living life lessons along the way.  Learning the craft of woodworking, home remodel, chicken keeping, child raising and being prepared for life’s tough times as they come our way. If you have ever wanted to get out of the rat race and slow down. Spend more time with your family.  Learn how to work with your hands. Grow your own food and eat healthier. This is the place for you! We have home grown recipes, food preservation techniques and tips and tricks on home repair. You can even learn with us how to make your own handcrafted woodworking projects! Everyone starts somewhere and this is our disclaimer! We will never claim to be experts in anything we do, but learning is the magic of life and we want to share our knowledge and everything we learn as we take on this homesteading lifestyle! If we can do this, so can you, believe me! Do what you can, where you are. We don’t own 30 acres of land, we live on a farm that’s just under 2 acres in west-central Illinois. The community is a large part of our lives and we hope you will become a part of it!  One thing we have learned early in life is that no one can do everything! We know you own a great deal of knowledge and we want to learn from you too! Follow us, Learn from us and teach us! That is what makes a community great, people helping people, for the common good. I (Shawn) have always been interested in woodworking since I was a small child. Living a slower life and spending the quality time (my favorite time) with my family! Never have I thought that spending more time with your boss then your children was a good idea. I do understand that money makes the world go around. But what if you needed less of it? My father was born at the start of the great depression. He had no idea what “depression” meant. To him, it was a way of life. He has taught me more about living simply then he knows and for that I am grateful. This homesteading journey has been spurred along by the birth of our first child. From the second I looked into her eyes I knew I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her and teach her how to become a respectable person and one day (maybe in 60 years) and a good wife. Thank you for taking the time to stop by our little slice of the internet! Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook or any of our other social formats!  As you follow us, take the time to say “Hi!” it would mean the world to us! Have a great day and stay positive!