First things first, I cannot believe this idea is actually coming to fruition! Obviously, I hope everyone enjoys this space and is able to take something away from it. Before I get too deep into anything, I think it is important for me to let everyone know that cooking, gardening, chicken keeping, homesteading—all of this is a hobby for me. These are things I love and enjoy. With that being said, I think part of the reason I love this life so much is because I can continue to learn while doing them. I can experiment with ideas, learn about new plants, how to treat and fix garden problems and always meeting the shifting needs of farm animals.

Cooking was probably my first love out of these hobbies. I remember in high school, my debate teacher bought me a Christmas cook book as a gift one year. In college, I would feed friends and try new recipes (looking back on those recipes makes me cringe—sorry guys), but I was no cooking phenom. When I was working in the hospital, I became sort of known for an apple pie I made and sold for fundraisers, and thus began my career of making something that was known to be tasty. Things have continued to progress and grow from there, where now I absolutely love being in the kitchen and seeing what kind of tasty concoction i can create. I’d like to think I have come a LONG ways since my college days of cooking… praise the Lord. Regardless of whether the cooking gods are smiling down on me or if things are literally on fire in the kitchen, three things remain with me—the ease and peace I feel in the kitchen, the love of creation and the joy of sharing a meal with people I love!

As for gardening… after having space to try my hand at being a green thumb, it came in as a second passion of mine. I’ve only been playing the game for a couple of years and most of my experience/knowledge comes from trial and error. Sure, I’ve read books, articles and googled my eyes out on problems that have arisen, but my best lessons and growing happen when I’m out there, hands in the dirt and actually looking at my plants instead of a computer screen.

So, chickens… Those little nuggets (no pun intended) bring us loads of joy and were quite honestly one of my more impulsive buys. I literally had nothing at my home for chickens. And yet, here we are with happy hens and a new DIY coop—thanks honey😊

In future posts, you will find gardening tips, recipes, chicken stories and more. I intend to sort these out so everything will be easily accessible—if you are looking for a specific recipes or gardening help etc. This space is another learning project for me, so input/advice/ideas are always welcomed.