Monthly Archives: December 2016

A chicken year in review: The best chicken stories from 2016

It seems 2016 was a big year for chickens. From chicken shaming to chicken sweaters, chickens have been in our hearts and on our minds in 2016. People all over the country are getting chickens for their farms, their backyards, and their homes. Chickens are the pets that poop breakfast, and we love them. We learned […]

Want good luck in 2017? Eat your black eyed peas.

black eyed peas and cornbread

I think many can agree that 2016 was a doozy. It was a tough one for our family in many ways, and we’re not the only ones. I’ve even seen songs written about how crappy 2016 was. But we made it and are looking forward to a happy and healthy 2017! I’m not one for […]

Family holiday traditions: A simple cinnamon roll recipe full of comfort, joy, and sweetness

cinnamon roll process

While I really do try to eat healthy most of the time, I’m one of those people willing to just dig into the comfort food during the holidays. Throughout centuries and cultures, we use food to bind us together, to feel connected, and to show people we love them. I feel that food traditions during […]

Backyard chickens: Healthy treats for the winter months

Winter is upon us, and I don’t know about your chickens, but most of our chickens are hesitant to leave the coop. “Snow. I’m not touching that stuff,” they seem to say. But we have a few brave souls who will venture out, and, if our girls are anything like they were last year, eventually, […]

Something you want and something you need: Making the holidays special on a budget

Christmas present

I always feel a sort of push and pull at Christmas time. For years, I’ve been trying to learn to live more frugally, but, in the last year, as we’ve worked to simplify and work less, sometimes, I do feel like things are a little too austere around here. I should provide context. Austere for […]

Tips to help you prepare for winter power outages in rural Maine

Maine Winter picture

So, apparently, we’re getting all of our winter in one week, and while I know we need the snow, I may have turned into a bit of a winter wimp of late, which means I’m dreading the storm and the inevitable that is to follow–the loss of power. When our family moved to rural Maine […]