HearthCrafting

A lot of people can say they had an unexpected baby – but most of them still have close to nine months to prepare. Me? I wound up with a 4 month old baby Amy* on about a week’s notice in April. Almost overnight, life became a chaotic whirlwind of bottles, rocking chairs, nightly swaddling,… more

I’m on a strict budget this month, because… well, I’m broke, that’s why! So I planned this week’s menu around things I had most ingredients for… and still managed to spend $54 at the grocery today. How is that, anyway? Here’s the menu: Monday (today!) Lunch: Rotisserie chicken from the store and chips (real healthy,… more

This is easily one of my favorite recipes – and it’s easy, too! Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 small can of peas, or similar volume of frozen peas (1 cup?) 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1-2 cloves) 1/2… more

I’ve had a beef in my fridge since February, but I entirely forgot to cook it on St. Patrick’s Day! Finally, I’ve decided to do so this week, and thought I’d post my recipe while I was at it! Using the crockpot is my favorite way to cook corned beef – because it’s super easy!… more

Okay, not really a secret, but it is behind closed doors! I’ve started a bunch of seeds for my garden this year, and because the cats love fresh greens (crazy veggie-eating carnivores!) I’ve hidden them in a spare room and shut the door to keep the beasts out! I’m hoping they survive until I plant… more

Please, someone answer this question: What happened to March? How did we arrive at the 31st when I still feel stuck back at the beginning of the month? Who said this was okay? Time sure flies when we’re busy. And busy I’ve been! I’ve been working on a couple special projects for a friend as… more

Here’s some links that have interested me this month so far:   Mary Jane’s Farm – I have loved the magazine, lusted after the books, and have finally joined their forums. All that’s really left is for me to join their official sisterhood so I can earn badges, girl scout style, for doing awesome farmgirl… more

I’m a big fan of reusable bags for shopping, especially grocery shopping. They are, of course, environmentally friendly, but I confess, that alone probably wouldn’t convince me to use them. I don’t care to sacrifice money, comfort, or convenience solely for the environment – to use an environmentally friendly product, it has to meet other… more