Homestead | Spruce Hill Homestead

Learning Old Time Skills to Help Your Homestead

When many people think of homesteading, they picture a far off, rural, place where people live off-grid and only off the land. This is true for some people, but the vast majority of modern homesteaders are, in fact, living much like you. They may have an urban homestead, where they grow food in all their available spaces and source food locally. They may be suburban, with a little more space. They could be living off the grid, or they could have every modern amenity available to them. The truth is: Homesteading today looks very similar to everyone else’s life, but with an eye toward sustainability, self-sufficiency, and healthy living. Continue reading “Learning Old Time Skills to Help Your Homestead” »

Beginner Preparedness Vol 5: A Realistic Guide to Food Preps

I have always tended to have an eye towards preparedness, especially when it comes to food. I like to know what is in those cupboards and how I can use those items to make a nutritious and well-received (read: actually something my children will eat) dinner at times when I cannot get to the store. Listen, stuff happens in life….sometimes the bank account is a little low, sometimes you are blocked in by a blizzard, or sometimes you have the flu so bad that the thought of going out to get food is enough to make you lie down and cry. For me, those are really the moments that food prepping is all about. Continue reading “Beginner Preparedness Vol 5: A Realistic Guide to Food Preps” »

13 Amazing Ace Hardware Items to make Decorating Easier!

There is something about a hardware store that makes me smile. I remember, as a kid, running to the hardware store with my Dad to pick up whatever might be needed. It always turned into an occasion, with talking and yakking about the day. As the adults talked, I loved to wander around and find little treasures. They always had the most interesting things. Continue reading “13 Amazing Ace Hardware Items to make Decorating Easier!” »

The Go Bag for Household Pets

No disaster plan is complete until you also have a plan for your household pets. We have all heard stories about pets being left behind during evacuation or of people who could not leave because they did not have a plan for their pets. Having a plan in place and a GO bag packed is the first step to protecting your four-legged loved ones.

Our family has evacuated with pets. A wildfire left us in a hotel room with two huge labs, a turtle, and a gecko. It was a little crazy…but we were prepared with everything we needed to ride it out. Not having to worry about how to get all our beloved animals taken care of took a huge weight off our shoulders.

Continue reading “The Go Bag for Household Pets” »

Beginner Preparedness Vol2: GO Bag Basics

A GO bag is an essential item in preparedness, and a great place to start your preparedness journey. If you need to evacuate your home quickly, this bag can be an essential part of getting out safely and with the basic items you will need to be away from home for a short period of time. The GO bag is not intended to give you all the comforts of home, just some basics to make you more comfortable or safer if you need to be away. We evacuated our home several years ago during the Black Forest Fire. At that time, I felt fairly prepared to do what I needed to do to get out. We had hours to prepare, so I was even able to grab more non-essential items, like family photographs and other memorabilia. We can talk about being prepared with those later, but for now will focus on getting out FAST.

Continue reading “Beginner Preparedness Vol2: GO Bag Basics” »

Prepping the Barn for Winter

Here in Colorado, we have vast swings in temperature this time of year. It’s October and we have already had snow. We have had freezing nights. But, yesterday, it was over eighty degrees. Winter barn prep takes on a whole new meaning when you are sweating your boots off one day and freezing the next! The good news is that this also means we can have days when it is still nice enough to get out there and get the barn prepped.

For me, the very first priority is animal comfort and health. Here at Sawdust, we mostly have horses since we live in an area where other types of livestock are not permitted (yes, we can’t wait until the day when we are in a new place and can increase our little herd!). But, I still prep the barn like a farm girl-old habits die hard. Here are some steps to making your barn a comfy, safe, and reliable haven for the winter months. Continue reading “Prepping the Barn for Winter” »

Beginner Preparedness: Where to Start

It’s a cold, windy day here in Colorado. As I sit here in my warm home, with the fire going, my mind is turning to all the events throughout the world where warmth, protection, and even food are not a guarantee. I’m a bit of a stocker, a trait learned from my mother in part and from her mother before her as well. We tend to stock up, plan ahead, and have what we would need in the case that we could not access stores or other luxuries. Friends joke that I am a prepper…but that’s not entirely true. We plan for things, yes, but not so much for the “end of the world” scenarios that preppers are known for.

Planning for preparedness isn’t hard. In fact, you probably have many of the tools in your home right now. But, in the case of a natural disaster, regional event, or even an illness…it will pay off. Here are the first steps to begin being prepared. Continue reading “Beginner Preparedness: Where to Start” »