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Growing Apples in the Backyard
These lovely, homegrown apples are my daughter’s reward for growing apples in the backyard. She has two trees that she planted herself five years ago, one for each of her children, and they are already loaded with beautiful and tasty fruit. Once a staple in backyards everywhere, apple trees are relatively easy to grow and yield a rewarding harvest. When my mother was growing up, her small-town backyard contained apples, pears, plums, mulberries, and as many vegetables as could be planted on the property. I remember enjoying the fruit from my grandmother’s trees when I was a girl, so I am thrilled that my grandsons will have the same wonderful…
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Make-a-Mix Cookery
When I was a new mom, I was thankful to have a very useful cookbook called Make-a-Mix Cookery. This gem contained recipes for such things as homemade pancake mix, muffin mixes, and seasoning mixes. In addition to these practical mixes, the ladies behind Make-a-Mix Cookery provided recipes for frozen meat and vegetable mixes, cooked in bulk and packaged in family sized servings. Just add pasta or rice for a quick and hearty family meal. These books helped make meal planning a breeze! Good time management, planning and cooking ahead can free you for more home teaching time, but don’t forget that all that food preparation is another great learning opportunity…
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Considering Homeschooling – Managing Time for Cooking
If you are a stay-at-home parent considering homeschooling, you might be wondering how on earth you will find time to get everything done when you have to spend so much of your day teaching. Providing nutritious meals needs to remain a priority, but that can take time. Don’t let this discourage you. There are alternatives to ordering pizza five nights a week! Managing time for cooking healthy meals is possible, even within the busy schedule of a homeschooling family. It takes planning and organizing and one huge day of effort, but many hard-working moms and dads solve the problem of making dinner with Once-a-Month Cooking. When I was in the middle…
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The New Self-Sufficient Gardener
The New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour is a backyard gardener’s dream come true! There is more information here than you will ever need to know about how to produce your own food. All types of fruits and vegetables, how to deal with pests, preserving your harvest, and more are covered in depth. Not just a comprehensive guidebook, The New Self-Sufficient Gardener is a visual treat as well. The illustrations deserve to be framed; they are so beautiful! You can even see a preview of the book from my Amazon store. Click on the book cover, here and at Amazon, to get a peek inside this gardener’s gem.
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Living on Less and Liking It More
Living on Less and Liking It More by Maxine Hancock was originally published in 1976. The version on my shelf is the updated edition from 1994. In it, Maxine tells her own story of financial struggles and how she came to the realization that living simply can not only make life easier, it can make it sweeter as well. Maxine’s brush with financial woe taught her that contentment can be learned. Modest living can be liberating. Freedom from the need to always have the best and the newest can channel one’s attention to the more important things in life. Living on Less and Liking It More is filled with practical…
