Ladies, Your work at home is a job. The home job is serious work too. But this work is different from jobs outside of the home in that many people see a woman working in her home as not “working”. A home is a place of rest and leisure yes, but it is also a place we must manage and preen. It is both to be enjoyed and languished in and also scrubbed and fixed by a diligent worker. There are many rewards of full-time homemaking. I come and go as I please. I make my own schedule. I get to prioritize dinner time every day, so that it is…

Picture rolling vineyards and walk among the vines with me. Picture apple orchards and meander the rows harvesting. Imagine being barefoot in the garden to cut flowers for the table. Think about the scent of hay in the barn. There are so many different kinds of country properties from vineyards, to orchards, to livestock ranches, to a homestead. Many of us have a mix of many different types. Likewise, country fashion does not have just one look. Country fashion can mean a floral dress for the garden to horse back riding. It can be leggings and cozy sweaters with tall boots for walking a soggy field or mucking out a…

It can seem unwise to invite guests over or have get-togethers when money is tight. However, we have history replete with times of scarcity to give us ideas for how women offered hospitality with very little. There are specific types of gatherings that allow you to have guests over without spending much money. It is about the time of day you have the gathering in order to communicate that you will only be offering a simple treat not a full meal. It is also about the type of event you plan which will limit the kinds of food and drinks offered which saves money. Then there are old fashioned potluck…

Not all of us are born and raised in the country but we get there as fast as we can. If you, like me, spent years or decades of your life dreaming and trying to move to the country, you may have some solid ideas of what you want. Here are some things that I learned along the way that helped me to edit and curate the dream so that I could buy the right property….and I’m still shopping for it. But I have been renting in the countryside for some time now and have a lot of first hand experience on what to be aware of and the nuances…

There is a special beauty about Christmas in the countryside at my home. But Christmas everywhere else feels pretty stressful to me. Do you feel uneasy with society’s version of Christmas? I find pop Christmas music played in stores to be extremely unpleasant as well as the stress of shopping and crowds. Here are my 5 ways to create a peaceful Christ centered Christmas season and how you can too even if you don’t live in the country. 1) Shop online instead of big box stores or shop local small businesses. The hyper environment of big box stores with loud pop music, stuff overwhelm and unfriendly crowds can be stressful…

This article will cover the most vital ten items to question about potential properties. If you are purchasing an existing house check out Top 10 Tips for buying a Country House click here. 1. Road access. You drove up to the property listing. Is the road to access to the property maintained by the buyer, the county, a neighbor? Is it level or steep? Is it narrow or wide? Will this road be dangerous in the winter? Consider the vehicles and the size of any loads you will need to drive down the road to the property and make sure it suits those needs. I caution to not get involved…

These are the ten most important questions to ask when buying a house in the country. To see the 10 Tips for Buying Land click here. 1. Water. Is it well or city water? What is the age and condition of the well equipment? What is the well water pressure like? 2. Test your water. Test for bacteria, chemicals, minerals, etc. 3. Septic system. Where is the drain field on the property? This would be an area that you cannot plant or build anything. Or park on. How close to the water well is the drain field? What type of plumbing pipes were used? Ceramic, metal, pvc? 4. Zoning. Can…

In the morning, I get dressed on my way out of bed and I head outdoors with a hot coffee. The scenery is full of the news of my surroundings and the headlines are joyful: “Sunlight peers through the trees”, “Fog blankets dew kissed pasture”, While the world rushes by distracted…. “The birds sing”. The moments of the morning suspend in the very air I inhale. Droplets of mist and pollen glisten as they ballet dance in the sun rays. Out here the land seems to exist with no time, it just is. The pastel soft colors awaken slowly into day light. Every morning a gift, each morning unique. There…

Ladies, The goal can be a pinterest worthy home. But what about the homemakers in the unphotogenic circumstance? Do they proudly wear the title “Homemaker”? When our surroundings do not match our hopes and dreams, we may feel unqualified in our position. But the home doesn’t do the making, the maker does. The home does not qualify the homemaker. The homemaker gives dignity to the home, be it primitive or grand. Proverbs 24 says something that strikes me on this topic because I have witnessed this many times: “I passed by the field of a sluggard,by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;the…