My Top 3 Favorite Gardening Resources

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It feels MIRACULOUS that we have access to endless information and knowledge about gardening and growing things. Can you even imagine how our great-grandmothers would have felt had they known that a simple fix could have saved their whole garden that one year? The fact that with a few clicks I can learn exactly how to prepare my hydrangea for the winter blizzards is pretty cool. But along with this availability comes the gift of overwhelm. And sometimes I think maybe our great-grandmothers had it better! LOL! Where do you even start?! I’m here to help you “weed out” all the noise and give you my absolute favorite THREE YouTube accounts I love to watch when it comes to all things gardening.

Roots & Refuge
Jess is one of the first people I found online when I was researching gardening. I felt like had hit the jackpot! She is down to earth, ambitious, full of spunk, and loves Jesus. Her videos include far more than just gardening now…because they have moved to SC and they’re setting up a beautiful homestead from scratch. But her gardening content, and especially her vertical gardening video, is what first got my attention! I took her “Growing Gardeners” course last year and it was fabulous! Just what I needed to find more confidence. Funny story, Jess read my blog back in the early days and we recently connected and had a great chat about vision and life and callings. How great is that?

The Elliott Homestead
Shaye makes everything feel dreamy. Her cottage garden was a HUGE inspiration to me as I was getting started and planning my own. She also has a beautiful market garden, a beautiful French-inspired home, and a million other things that will make you want to never.stop.watching. How about her cold storage room and all that preserved food? swoon! Sometimes we’ll watch her channel as a family…and the girls always come running if I turn it on, “Is that SHAYE?!”. It’s so cute. One balmy evening while we were in Hawaii on a dōTERRA trip, Shaye and I sat and chatted for awhile…and she’s just as lovely in person as online. You won’t regret adding her to your list..be sure to watch ALL the archives!

Garden Answer
Whenever I have a free moment, Laura’s videos are playing on my phone. Especially lately as I need advice on specific plants, starting seedlings, etc. I know I can trust her! Her knowledge of plant names always blows me away (makes sense because her parents own a garden center!). She has super helpful videos on perennial recommendations, planting potatoes, and before and after transformations. Plus, she’s FUN to listen to and has a fantastic personality. She takes projects on in a BIG way…and I connect to that as a fellow garden visionary. LOL!

I hope you’ll go and subscribe to these channels…I come back to them over and over and I KNOW you’ll love them too!

Share YOUR favorite channels or blogs in the comments!

Happy Eggs

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Oh how I’ve longed for an ombré carton of eggs! Isn’t it pretty? It’s always a little hard to photograph their true colors…but I think you get the idea. The 2nd egg from the right in the front is far more BLUE than white...we have quite a few blue layers!

I’m LOVING all of the easter eggers that we hatched last spring. We were thrilled to get an olive egger in the mix. It’s always a toss up as to what color they will end up being…but with an Ameraucana rooster, we knew they would be pretty!

The girls are already getting anxious to hatch more baby chicks…but I’m not sure I’m up to another round of that craziness. Maybe just ONE new batch? LOL! Said every chicken owner ever.

We’re currently getting between 12 and 20 eggs a day…so things have definitely picked up now that the weather is warmer! Nothing compares to farm fresh eggs…once you’ve had them, you can never go back!

The Little Things | March 2022

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“The Little Things” is my blog version of IG stories...these seemingly ordinary daily moments make up our beautiful life! *Click the images to enlarge & scroll*

“I hope you find, as I did, that happiness comes from noticing
and enjoying the little things in life.”
- Barbara Ann Kipfer

Family: We love taking family walks…even though it’s still quite chilly here in SD! All you have to do is put alllll the clothes and hats and scarves and mittens on and get out there! This particular night though, we were freeeeezing anyway because the wind was so strong. Oh the prairie! Still thankful for the wind in our faces and time together.

Bella Boo: Look at this beauty. She turns 18 this week! Every moment is a gift…as we prepare to say goodbye to her for her summer at camp and then as she enters the great big world as an adult! She’s working 2 jobs and still rock climbing 3-4 times a week. She’s quite an amazing human.

Kitty: Another kitty pic. Becuase…fluffy cuteness. I cannot resist the sleeping cat face. What kind of monster are you if you don’t love cats? LOL

Visiting: We stopped over at my sister’s house, as we do often….so thankful to have them close.

RV: We are toying with the idea of putting our beloved and beautiful RV on the market. If you or someone you know is a serious buyer, shoot me a message for the details! 45 foot, remodeled diesel pusher. 2 bunks + King. Live in it full time and travel or just park it where you want it and enjoy the view!

Fenced in: I love the IDEA of free range chickens. But on a practical level, it’s annoying. So we’re re-doing our chicken fencing area…instead of free ranging our entire 21 acres, they are going to be “confined” to 2-3 acres around the big red barn instead. And my flower beds will be SO much happier. And no more stepping in chicken poop every time we walk about the door. Woo!

Jump: Sisterly fun on the spindles. Someday, we hope to have goats again and then we’ll use these spindles for them! Until then…they are for Matt’s shooting range.

Grown up: She got all dressed and ready to head out and say hello to Grandpa and Ama (who are living in their fifth wheel on our farm while they look for a house). And she looked all grown up. And then I got sad because all of my babies are grown up. -sob face!- But thankfully they all still like to cuddle. :)

Cousins: Lucy has been babysitting and spending lots of time with Eli and Maggie…this particular pink burrito was quite adorable.

Green: I still drink green smoothies! No better way to get 2 huge handfuls of greens in your body. I know many of you found me all those years ago for my original green smoothie challenge…and I’m so thankful you’re still here!

Coffee: My mom and dad came to the farm to watch the girls while we went to our Leadership Retreat in Phoenix! We grabbed coffee with them before they headed out of town. I hate saying goodbye…but know that we always see them so soon! And that’s why we live close!

Generations: Three to be exact! DNA is cool. :)

Gym: Every other week, the girls go to the gymnastics academy for a homeschool open gym. This particular week was combined with the adorable littles…they always have a blast!

Leadership: Speaking of Leadership…we were in Arizona for 4 days with our top dōTERRA leaders and loved every minute! So great to see everyone.

Meals: We love and value our family meal time…and make sure to always have a candle or 3 or 4 lit. I got some new cloth napkins that made me happy too! Lucy is super detail oriented and makes sure everything is lovely!

Ama: Emma and Ama doing art and making bookmarks…so good to have her here!