Learn how to grow milky oat tops and how to dry and preserve them. These soothing seeds deserve a place in your garden, bringing another level to the nutritious and calming effects of oats in what we’ve grown up with as oatmeal for breakfast (I could ...
Old House Remodel 13 – Farmhouse Sink
Farmhouse enamel sink? Yes, please. Found one in an old building on our homestead? Perfect! Join me as our sink goes from garden storage to a functional sink in our new kitchen in our old house remodel. This is one of the coolest things in this ...
80 Year Old House Remodel 12 – Projects
Our 80 year old house remodel is slowly but surely becoming a home. The projects are getting smaller for now, as we get ready to move to the other side of the house, although that won’t last. Join us for these projects in our 80 year old house ...
80 Year Old House Remodel 11: Finishing Trim
This article is packed with everything on finishing wood, from wood conditioner and wood bleach to stain and polyurethane. Join me on the nitty gritty journey of finishing our trim for our old house remodel addition. I have completed a bunch of ...
Grow Onions From and For Seed
Learn about the whole lifecycle of onions, from planting seeds to collecting seeds! This staple of the garden and kitchen takes on a whole new life as a beautiful allium flower as we explore how to become more self-sufficient by discovering how to ...
Grow Your Own Leeks
Maybe I just like leeks because they reach out of the typical garden fair, like carrots and onions, into the realm of unique. But there are many worthwhile reasons to grow leeks, such as being frost tolerant and largely pest free. I’ve been ...
80 Year Old House Remodel 10 – Epoxy Floor
We’ve had several projects on the go in our old house remodel. Check out how we applied epoxy on the basement floor, foam rollered paint onto some doors, and got a concrete paver hearth for our wood stove. Things are getting close to being livable in ...
Old House Remodel 9 – Colour!
How fast can an experienced amateur paint a house? As we continue our old house remodel, we add colour, yes, colour. Join the journey! There was one thing Kent and I agreed on – no white paint! He may have regretted that statement. He probably ...
80 Year Old House Remodel – 8 Trades & Treasures
Getting back to the old house remodel. The only thing worse than working slowly, by oneself, is waiting, especially for someone else. Life lessons, kids. In the last few months a lot has gotten done, but it hasn’t seemed that way while living in ...
80 Year Old House Remodel – 7
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated our old house remodel. It seems like there have been a lot of little things going on, but in there, a few bigger things have been accomplished as well. The evenings have been getting shorter and with it, ...
I'm Erika, I live on eighty acres in the northern prairies of southern Manitoba with my husband and four kids. Here, we enjoy the outdoors and try to be more self sufficient as we try new things in the garden and learn about our land and the world around us.