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Just Life

I See Your Bravery and Struggles Too.

November 15, 2021 by Sandy

What Can Moms Do with Picky Eaters

September 15, 2021 by Sandy

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Hello Friend!

I’m Sandra. Wife, mom of three kiddos, and homesteader in training. I am passionate about gardening, real food, essential oils, simplicity at home, and homeschooling. My hope is to inspire others to take small steps toward a simpler life and self-sustainability, no matter where you are.

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Recent Posts

Grow Your Garden with My Free Printable Planner
Top 10 Crops for New Gardeners

smallstepshomestead

Sorry but it’s True! Let me take it one step f

Sorry but it’s True!

Let me take it one step further - did it ever occur to you that there are those who benefit from you not being able to do things for yourself? Maybe they don’t want you to know how to help yourself 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Yesterday, my daughter and I stopped at the grocery store and it cost me $107 for hardly anything. Also, I had no meat or cleaning products in my cart.

When I got home and looked at my bags, I realized that several things in the bags I could make myself. Not to mention, for a lot cheaper.

I read several years ago that every step that is done for you when shopping adds to the cost. Example, potatoes - fresh are the best value but if you really looked at the cost of boxed or frozen mashed potatoes let’s say - you might be shocked how little you get for the price.

Also, think of it from a garden stand point. For the cost of a head of lettuce, I can buy a pack of seeds that might give me as much as 100 heads of lettuce.

How about services? Are there things we know how to do for ourselves? On this one I also look at it from a slightly different perspective. If we need something done let’s find an individual who can do it versus a huge company. The individual trades people are suffering right now too.

Inflation is real and we are all in this together. Let’s work together and learn to do things for ourselves. I would love to hear your ideas on things we can do for ourselves. #suburbanhomestead #selfsufficient #selfsufficiency #homestead #homesteading

Picked the last of our green beans this morning. W

Picked the last of our green beans this morning. Without a doubt the most prolific of our crops this year.

We grow pole beans which means they grow on a trellis. Every year when I pull the plants I think about growing bush beans instead the next year.

Honestly, pulling pole beans can be a pain because they twist around the trellis.

However, pole beans take up much less space and are more prolific in my opinion. This is especially important for us small space gardeners.

One trick I have found is to cut the plants at the base and let them dry on the trellis. They are so much easier to pull off when they are dry.

Do you grow beans, if so what are your favorite varieties? And are you team bush or pole?

#homestead #homesteading #backyardhomestead #backyardhomesteading #backyardgarden #backyardgardening #backyardgardener #growingahomestead #happygardening #happygardener #happygardeninglife #inmygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #organicgardening

I had people ask me for my maple donut recipe. Her

I had people ask me for my maple donut recipe. Here it is - enjoy. #homesteadkitchen #bakefromscratch #scratchcooking #scratchbaking

I believe this with all my soul. Homesteading is a

I believe this with all my soul. Homesteading is a calling.

There have been several times when I decided I was done with this dream. And something or someone always pulls me back.

Once I acknowledged it was a calling, I was able to focus in on the work and not just sit and day dream about it.

Why are we called? Only God knows truly his plan but let’s embrace the calling. It may in fact be one of the most important callings in our current times. #homesteaddreams #homestead #homesteading #homesteadlife #homesweethomestead #growingahomestead #suburbanhomestead #suburbanhomesteading

Fall is definitely here, and I know we are tired f

Fall is definitely here, and I know we are tired from all the summer homestead work.

However, taking the time now to put everything away properly and to look at what worked and didn’t work I’m our gardens is important.

Also, a great time to plan and dream about next year. Especially if you live in a colder climate like me. You can’t see garden spaces so we’ll in the snow 😉.

Speaking of snow, make sure to get all the winter supplies you need for your animals.

Inside, it’s a great time to make that final push to add to our pantries before the busyness of the holidays. Clean out the pantries and freezers as well.

Lastly, depending on where you live it’s not too late to plant a low tunnel garden that will last all winter. I hope to plant mine this weekend and I will take you along.

Did I miss anything? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments ❤️

#suburbanhomesteading #suburbanhomestead #homesteading #homestead #homesteadinglife #homesteadlife #suburbangarden #homesteadkitchen #preservingtheharvest

This is one plant. It came up in a pot from discar

This is one plant. It came up in a pot from discarded seeds last year and I transplanted it to a tire filled with dirt.

It has only given one pumpkin, but what a pumpkin it is. Again, suburban garden for the win. #suburbangarden #suburbangardening #suburbanhomestead #growfoodnotlawns #pumpkin

Who says you can’t grow Lemons on a patio in Pen

Who says you can’t grow Lemons on a patio in Pennsylvania. They will have to go in for the winter but still, look how many there are. ❤️❤️❤️

#lemons #smallgarden #northerngardening #patiogarden #suburbangarden #organicgarden #suburbanhomestead #homesteadgarden

Peppers - the Small Steps Homestead garden winner

Peppers - the Small Steps Homestead garden winner this year.

I have canned, dehydrated, froze, and used fresh all summer. And we are still not done.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Green - King of the North - really prolific for a green pepper, and delicious. Lunchbox - if you like the bags of peppers from Costco this is your pepper to grow. And my all time favorite - banana peppers.

Spicy - Hungarian Wax, Habenero, Serrano, and Cayenne for the win. Habenero was a new addition this year and would definitely grow again.

It’s not too early to start looking at what you might want to grow for next year. #smallgarden #homegarden #homegardening #suburbangarden #suburbanhomestead #homesteadgarden #homesteadgardens #growfood #growfoodnotlawns #organic #organicgardening #peppers

If there is one crop in the garden that can teach

If there is one crop in the garden that can teach life lessons it’s green beans. If you’ve ever planted beans you might know what I mean. If you haven’t, you should try.

Here are a few lessons I’ve learned in my bean patch.

1. Things can change in a moments notice. With the possible exception of zucchini, beans are one of the fastest growing crops. You can go from no beans to a million beans in 24 hours.

2. Sometimes changing our angle on a situation brings a different perspective. I can’t tell you how many times I have thought I was done picking beans and I moved position slightly and discovered a dozen more.

3. You never know what you might find in bean bushes or life. Sometime it might be beautiful treasures like the time my puppy went missing and just when we had given up hope, he came out from under the bean bushes where he had been napping. Other times, it might be a creepy crawly like the one I found this morning.

That is the beauty of planting a garden, you learn so much about life.

. How to see the beauty in life between the weeds.

How to deal with the ups and downs of life. And so much more.

After all God started human life in a garden did He not?

If you haven’t planted a garden, may I recommend you do. You will be surprised what life lessons you will learn. And May I suggest you start with beans 😉. #garden #gardening #gardeninspiration #organicgardening #organicgarden #suburbangarden #suburbanhomestead #suburbanhomesteading #homesteadgarden

Today let’s talk water. In our house we keep wat

Today let’s talk water. In our house we keep water in various ways for drinking. We have various ways of filtering and purifying water. We collect rain water for our garden.

However, as I shared the other day, water main breaks are one of the big issues we deal with. In the four years we have lived in our home there have been close to a dozen water main breaks in our neighborhood. Several of them requiring us to go without water for hours.

That is why I keep jugs of water under our sinks. I also take old laundry detergent bottles and fill with water and save them on our shelves. This water is not for drinking but can be used to flush toilets or even wash our hands.

When we prep, it’s important to remember it’s not always about the big catastrophes. It’s about the little inconveniences of life too. #nationalpreparednessmonth #womenwhoprep #preparedness #prepared #preparednotscared

Today we talk about car preps. I’m sure our host

Today we talk about car preps. I’m sure our hostesses will have great posts on car kits and all.

If you have seen a news story on cars being stuck on the highway for hours, then you know one of the many reasons why we need car kits.

However, I’m going to talk about the most basic prep when it comes car preps.

Don’t let your tank get to empty. In fact my rule any more is half a tank.

Now I will tell you that I used to be a run on empty gal. In fact my hubby used to tell me that E stood for enough in my book. 🤣🤣

What changed my mind? I took a class on preparedness and the instructor shared the following story.

A friend of hers got a call in the middle of the night that her mother had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition and she needed to come now because she was not expected to survive.

When she got in her car, she discovered her tank was empty. She was going to need to stop at the gas station before she could head to the hospital. Unfortunately, the one closest to her was closed and she had to go to a second one.

When she finally made it to the hospital, she was told that her mother had passed 5 minutes before. That stop at the gas station made her miss an opportunity to say goodbye to her mother. 😢

I know someone might not like me sharing this story but it is what changed my mind on empty gas tanks. I hope that if you are in the empty gas tanks club it will change your mind too.

And let’s circle back to those cars stranded on the highway. What if you were one of those cars on empty? #nationalpreparednessmonth #prepper #preparednotscared #womenwhoprep

A little late to the #nationalpreparednessmonth pa

A little late to the #nationalpreparednessmonth party but it’s been that kind of day. At least it’s not midnight on the West coast yet.

My name is Sandy and I currently live in South Western Pennsylvania with my husband and 3 kids.

However, I spent 20+ years living in the Earthquake and Fire Country known as Los Angeles.

While living there, I was part of the crisis management team for Disney. That is really what opened my eyes to what could happen.

I also realized that those little earthquake kits they have you prepare are not enough. That is where prepping began for me.

When we moved 4 years ago, I thought for a moment, that I wouldn’t need preparedness any more. That is far from the truth. No matter where we live preparedness is important.

I also consider myself a suburban homesteader and for a long time I couldn’t decide if I was a prepper or a homesteader. I eventually realized you can be both.

So join along with the amazing women hosting this event. They have so much knowledge. I’m excited to learn and share. #preparednotscared #preparedness #womenwhoprep

Some days it’s hard to imagine we will ever reac

Some days it’s hard to imagine we will ever reach our goals. Other days it might seem like everyone else’s lives are full of the blessings we hope for.

However, remember that life is messy. If we can work through that mess, we might be surprised to find the blessings that already exist in our lives.

I know that isn’t always easy but one small step at a time.

Other times we just need to step back and look at our life from another angle. Maybe it’s more beautiful than we think.

Lastly, remember, no matter how beautiful and blessed someone’s life looks, there is probably mess somewhere😉🙃

#blessed #blessedandgrateful #blessedmama #blessedlife #workingkitchen #homesteadkitchen

The last couple of days has got me thinking. I g

The last couple of days has got me thinking.

I grew up in a time and place where life wasn’t so hectic, people weren’t so angry, and life was beautiful.

So what happened?

I think looking at my home town gives me some good ideas where it went wrong. I’m from a small town up the Monongahela river from Pittsburgh.

Truthfully, now it’s more like a shell of a town. The hospital where I was born is gone, as is my elementary school, and most businesses I fondly remember from my childhood.

I don’t live there anymore but when I drive through it saddens me.

People now have to drive about 20 minutes for emergency medicine.

Several other small towns in the area have no police force and rely on neighboring towns or state police to protect them.

But you know what disappeared first? Jobs. Good paying American Jobs. I come from a steel town and the day they closed the mills is the day everything changed.

Think about the fact that if you didn’t want to go to college, you could grow up and work in the mill and make decent money. Was it hard work - with out a doubt. But it was an honest well paying job.

What options do people in the area have now if they aren’t college bound? They leave or they make minimum wage working at Dollar General or delivering pizza.

I really do think until we bring back American Manufacturing jobs we won’t see a change. And now the farmers are under attack again.

I know I’m simplifying it here but we need to start somewhere and this seems like the perfect place to start. Would love to hear your thoughts on this? #simplelife #buyamerican

I was just listening to a prepper channel and what

I was just listening to a prepper channel and what was being discussed made me down right nervous. It is probably something that needs to be talked about, but I wasn’t ready.

But you know what?

That’s ok. We are all on our own journeys. I also believe that God guides us on our journey. He knows what we need and when we need it.

I also think some messages are meant to distract us. If I’m living in fear over something I heard it doesn’t allow me to focus on what I really need to do.

Lastly, remember those of us sharing, including myself, are human. #preparednotscared

Whether you consider yourself a prepper, homestead

Whether you consider yourself a prepper, homesteader, both, or neither, it’s true.

I’ve been dealing with some health issues the last couple of weeks. Things I’ve dealt with in the past but not for a long time.

No matter how prepared we are for emergencies, if I am not healthy it doesn’t matter.

If I have a headache that won’t let me think straight, or I don’t have the physical strength to get things done, I put my family at risk.

I finally had to admit to myself that I needed to make a change. If I want to live a homestead/prepping lifestyle, I need strength and mental clarity.

I share this in hopes it might encourage others. #prepareyourself #preparedness #prepper #preppers #preparednotscared #homesteading #homesteader

But seriously…. SAVE YOUR BACON GREASE. It’s l

But seriously…. SAVE YOUR BACON GREASE. It’s like free cooking oil.

Some of my favorite uses are to fry potatoes or onions.

While you are at it save the pan drippings from roasted chicken or any other roasted meats. You can use them to make gravy or enrich sauces. You will thank me. #homemade #homestead #homesteadlife #homesteadkitchen #homesteading #homesteadinglife #homesteadingskills #homesweethomestead #homemaker #homemakerlife #homemakerskills #cooklikeyourgrandma

Why is it there a manhole cover in my backyard? I’ll tell you, but first.

What happened last week in Central Appalachia has been on my mind so much this week. As I’m sure it has been on many of yours. My heart has been breaking.

What happened there was such a freak thing. It all happened so quickly that there was not much anyone could do.

However, It does remind me of the importance of situational awareness.

It is important to know our property, know the potential dangers in our neighborhoods, towns, counties, and states. To know our neighbors too.

It’s just like driving in a car. There are tragic accidents that happen that nothing might have saved the person. However, seat belts and defensive driving can help most times. Right?

So know your surroundings and consider developing and practicing an escape route.

And know your neighbors. In all this suffering, it has been beautiful to witness how they have come together.

So, why do we have a manhole cover in our backyard? Because there is a drainage system for an old mine that runs through our property. When it rains, the mine fills with water and these drains take it out and run it out to the storm drains. We also have one in our driveway.

It is really weird, I know. When we get big rains you can actually hear the water moving through there.

The Bureau of Mines comes once a year to check it. Last year they had to clean it out because the water level was too high.

It doesn’t necessarily scare me that we have this on our property, but again it is something to be aware of. Thankfully we don’t have a mine under our property. Two years ago, there were two homes severely damaged due to mine subsidence. So again, know where you live. #prepared #preparedness #preparednotscared

That small neighborhood garden won’t sustain you

That small neighborhood garden won’t sustain you in a true crisis - like an economic collapse.

I’ve heard this a lot lately. To some extent it is true.

HOWEVER.

- It will supplement my pantry in a crisis.
- It will extend my pantry in a crisis.
- It will provide fresh food in a crisis.
- It teaches me new skills every year.
- It helps me build community.

The skills and community are not to be overlooked. In my neighborhood, I see three or four other gardeners. Imagine if there was an economic collapse. Those 4 or 5 people could teach others to grow their own. Or maybe we would start community gardens on some of the vacant land around us.

Gardening has also helped me find a community of like minded people. People we would want to know in a crisis.

So don’t let anyone tell you that your garden will not sustain you, because it can in many other ways.

Always keep that pantry full but plant that garden too. #homesteading #homestead #homesteadlife #homesweethomestead #growingahomestead #happygardener #happygardeninglife #inmygarden #growyourownfood #growfoodnotlawns #selfsufficiency #preparednotscared

This is something I'm reminding myself of lately.

This is something I'm reminding myself of lately. It is so easy to see something and think oh we need to try this.

I mean who hasn't bought something after trying a sample at Costco, only to have it sit on their shelf unused.

Whether you are building a preparedness pantry or just know the worth of having a deep pantry, make your money count. Especially in today's economy.

- Buy only what your family eats.
- Start with what you eat most.
- Stock up on the basics.
- Put things in your pantry that have multiple uses.

For example, I keep a lot of different tomato products in my pantry. Add pasta, pizza dough, meat, etc. and you have a multitude of meals.

This is also a good time to clean out our pantries and use up or donate things we do not use. For example, I have a bunch of grain free flours I'm working through. We are no longer grain free in our home, but it doesn't mean we let them go to waste.

Let's build our pantries, but let's do it wisely. Let's got our homes in order. #pantries #prepared #preparedness #preparednotscared #homesteadkitchen #homesteading #homestead #homesteadlife #homesteadinglife #selfsufficiency #simplelife #simpleliving #homemaker #homemaking #stockup #getyourhouseinorder

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