Boys & Bacon

I'm doing a Facebook LIVE video today in a large crochet group to outline how I make crochet work for me. Beyond being a therapeutic respite from the world around me, because I can absolutely sink into a project for days on end, crochet has become a huge financial savior in our lives. I suffer from several mental health disorders and chronic migraines, holding a "real job" is hard for me. I have 2 kids on vastly different schedules, and childcare costs more than college in this area. So Crochet gives me the flexibility to take a mental or physical rest day without fearing for my job. Some of the questions I was asked to touch on are answered below. I learned to crochet from my grandma when I was 5, learned to amigurumi when I was 7 in elementary school. I started selling my hats and stuffed toys in my mom's second-hand store and by commission when I was 12 (7th grade). When I was 4 months pregnant with my first son, (2012) I was in a car wreck and my O

From all the blogs I'm reading, the biggest take away is the need to build skills BEFORE I have to depend on the skills for sufficiency on the Homestead. So here's my first major new skill I've learned! So far this week, I've done Chicken Fajitas, Shredded Pork, BBQ Chicken, Mac N cheese, Creme Brulee, Pot Roast, and have had leftovers each night, half to freeze for later, half for future work meals for hubs. Today! Today I'm making mixed berry jam and applesauce. Sorry for the mess and bad photos... trying to get ANYTHING done with kids underfoot makes perfect photos difficult... For our jam, I took some blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (don't know how much, just went with what I had, it came to about 3 cups of mashed berries), and mixed them together in the mixer with sugar and pectin. I chopped the strawberries in half after removing the crown and leaves. Poured the whole mix into the instant pot. I set it to

A few months ago (okay, longer than that...) I wrote about the brown-ness of where I grew up. Now I need to be clear, I grew up on and around farmland, but very little GREEN grew there. It was brown (potatoes), brown (wheat), brown-sage (mint), and brown-yellow (alfalfa). You can't find berry bushes or more than a few handfuls of tomato plants in my home desert. (Photos courtesy of DD Ranch [My dad's neighbors] Terrebonne, OR) When I moved a couple years ago (renewing our 3rd lease) I realized how much GREEN we could have. I love the hustle and bustle of the city. I loved the fast-paced, everything within a few min drive...but as time has worn on, I miss dirt therapy. (Buckman Community Garden) I miss the animals, and the smell of rich compost (because you can't plant straight to soil in the desert) I miss the idea of the country, if not the actual country I grew up in. Images Courtesy of Croakers Crossing Farm I've felt an intense pull to