2014 has been a great year here on the farm. Lots of exciting things have happened both on an offline. Here is a brief rundown of what not so simple living things happened offline.
- The rest of my family was already practicing karate (Tang Soo Do, actually) and I finally put aside my doubts (and some of my dignity) and joined them. I am now thisclose to achieving intermediate belt status. Some days I even enjoy it! Don’t tell them I said that.
- I lost a favorite goat.
- I survived spring. (It kicked my butt, but I survived.)
- We joined an awesome homeschooling co-op. Seriously, I can’t say enough good things about Classical Conversations!
- We added an awesome exchange student to our family.
- We went to Disney world!
- I lost a toenail to the cow and had to go to the ER to have the rest of it removed.
- I cooked A LOT and I managed to write a cookbook, which should finally be released next month!
In the online world I had a lot of fun too! Here are my top simple living posts of 2014!
10. Gutter Gardening.
AKA: Get Your Mind in the Gutter (And Your Lettuce Too!) People just love to grow food in small spaces!
9. Raising Meat Chickens Q&A (part 1)
I am finding that people are increasingly interested in learning to produce quality meat on their own properties. For the record, there is also a part 2 and a part 3.
8. A Frugal Beekeeping Tip!
Folks love a way to save money and simplify life at the same time!
7. Top 10 Reasons to Raise Meat Chickens.
Again with people declaring independence from factory-raised meat. I love it! If you are very interested in this subject, can I recommend the book The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery? *affiliate link* It is one of my favorite chicken resources and I refer to it often.
6. 9 Things to Know About Duck Eggs.
Duck eggs are just fantastic to cook with and they are nutritional powerhouses. I can hardly wait for my ducks to end their hiatus and begin laying again!
5. Top 10 Homesteading Skills.
I’m constantly adding to my (scribbled) list. Go read this one and add your favorite skill to the comments. I’m hoping to make this a top 100 list eventually, but I need your help! If you love skills like this, you would probably also really enjoy the book The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live it by John Seymour. *affiliate link* It is full of skills and useful information for the homesteader. Reading it won’t make you an expert on any one thing, but you will learn a little about a lot of subjects.
4. What the Irish Really Eat.
Did y’all know I’m half Irish? This post went crazy around St. Patrick’s Day when I pointed out that my family in Ireland had never even heard of corned beef and cabbage. Some agreed and some people were downright nasty in my disagreement, but they sure clicked a bunch, and really, as a blogger, there’s nothing better! (P.S. I just love this picture. That’s my son Lucas at Dunluce Castle in County Antrim in Northern Ireland.)
3. Healthy Options for a Meal on the Go.
Everyone is so busy these days, and folks on Pinterest seem to love these healthy meal ideas.
2. Fun, Funky, Free Garden Trellis & Tomato Cage.
I think people are drawn to the colors on this one, but honestly, they also love that it is something useful that you can make for practically nothing. Also, people love pallets.
1. “Specialty” Goat Toys.
This was actually written way back in 2012, but it still managed to take the top spot this year!
Honorable Mention:
This one was so close to getting on the simple living list, that I hated not to include it, so I will award honorable mention to How to Keep Birds Off Fruit Trees!
So there you have it. Those are my top simple living posts of 2014. I have had just a blast hanging out with y’all this year, and I hope you all come back and visit me in 2015! Thank you all so much for being a part of my life. Seriously, it means the world to me as a blogger when I don’t feel like I’m just talking to myself.
If you want to keep up with all the farm happenings, I would like to invite you to sign up for Beulah’s moooooooosletter. She’ll deliver all the farm news from the cow’s point of view, and she promises not to junk up your inbox with a bunch of annoying promotions. Plus, she’s funny (or at least she thinks she’s funny!)
***This post contains affiliate links. A percentage of the purchase price of items bought through these links goes toward keeping this blog up and running and food in Beulah’s bowl, so thanks!***
