Why do onions make you cry, and what can you do about it? My brother told me about the simple trick he uses to process large batches of eye-burning onions without shedding a tear. In case you don't have the “trick” item on hand, I have other options that work pretty well to help you avoid “onion eyes”. [Read more…]
12+ Easy Homemaking Tips for the Busy Homesteader
I am not a super awesome housekeeper. Every so often I rehome rarely used items and do more thorough cleanings, but for the most part our home is unlikely to end up in a photoshoot for Better Homes and Gardens. That said, I do use a number of homemaking tips and tricks to keep the clutter under control and make things a little tidier and easier to use. A minute saved here and there; reusing, repurposing and extending the life of items so we don't need to buy replacements so quickly – every little thing adds up to make a difference. Plus – a new study has linked clutter with depression, so keeping things neater may help improve your mood! [Read more…]
Cooking with Herbs – How to Use Herbs in the Kitchen
This is a guest post from Jennifer Downing of Nourish about cooking with herbs.
I love my vegetable garden. It’s tucked in the corner of the yard surrounded by a white picket fence. It makes me happy. Buzzing with honey bees from our hive, bushels of beans and towering tomatoes, this modest garden produces a lot of food for my family.
I dream of acres and neat rows of rotational planting but ironically, the yellow house garden has wonky paths and a patchwork of seed plots. It’s fun, but not efficient. So, it may make sense a disproportionate percentage of my garden is filled with randomly placed herbs. They creep across the dirt and sway in the breeze. In spring, I anticipate the arrival of perennials like old friends. Selecting annuals is thrilling as I search for something new to play with in the kitchen. Since many herbs are easy to grow, I am left with little do but harvest and, harvest, and harvest. I step into the garden, gather fragrant arm loads full and return to the kitchen and get cooking with herbs. [Read more…]
Involving Young Children in your Homemaking Activities
One of the best parts of blogging is getting to know lots of really interesting people with great ideas. Earlier in the week I did a guest post for a new friend, Angela from The Coupon Project, titled “Homesteading 1-2-3“.
Today, I'm welcoming Angela here to Common Sense Homesteading to share her expertise on how to include young children in work around the home (without driving yourself crazy). 😉 Boy, does this bring back memories! Her kids are so cute I want to reach out and hug them from across the country. Enjoy!
I used to envy stay-at-home moms….before I became one myself. I quickly learned that juggling domestic duties with littles underfoot was not for the faint of heart. For the first couple years, I struggled in my new role. How in the world was I going to get stuff done anymore?
When I decided to fully embrace my new life instead of fighting it, I began to find new and clever of ways of tackling tasks around the home. I wanted to share four things I've learned that have helped me involve my children in my homemaking activities. [Read more…]
