If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would ever consider myself a homesteader, my answer would have been, “What’s a Homesteader”! HaHa

Isn’t it amazing how our perspective for our lives change!

But even though I am living the life as a homesteader, I guess most of the time I just don’t think about it that way.

Now when people ask me how I feel about homesteading, my reaction is, “Wait……I’m a Homesteader?”!

I think there is so many mis-conceptions about homesteading.

People think if you are a homesteader you must live in a shack in the boonies, with no running water, no electricity and bare-foot and pregnant all your life!

When in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

My family lives in a ranch style house, and even though we live in a rural area, we actually live right in town!

We have a  store 3 blocks down the road, and a post office 4 blocks away.

Our local Police and Fire Dept is a 10 minute walk from my house.

So we have clarified that I do not live in the boonies, I do have running water and electricity, and even though I do run around barefooted, I haven’t been pregnant in fourteen years!

And even though I don’t like fixing my hair and putting on make-up everyday (hey my chickens don’t care what I look like!), I do enjoy getting dressed up and going out.  I don’t sew my own clothes, even though I would if I could, my husband can’t live without his Hollister Clothes and hairspray, but we try to always buy them second hand!

We define Homesteading as this:  Living a self-sufficient life (meaning not relying on others to provide our needs).

Be satisfied with what we have, and taking value in learning to grow, raise and make our own food, and other necessities.  It’s so important that our children realize that our food doesn’t just appear at the grocery store.

And most important for me is, not being wasteful.  Trying to preserve what you have.

Some ways I define myself as a homesteader is, I enjoy raising chickens.  I love going out in the morning and gathering eggs.  It brings me such a sense of simplicity.

We also raise meat rabbits and turkeys.  You might say, don’t you feel bad?  Yes sometimes I do, but my son is the one who raises the rabbits and if he didn’t he would just take his gun up the road and come home with a couple he shot anyway.

I make my own laundry and bar soap.  I do enjoy girly smells, but my skin is very sensitive and it cannot always handle what is added to soaps.  Making it myself guarantees I know exactly what I is added.

I love the smell of line-dried laundry.  It makes me think of my momma and growing up!  Sometimes it’s the little things that make you a homesteader.

We try to buy most of our clothing, decor and furniture second-hand or at least on clearance.  I’m not one for wasting money on things that I can get at a discounted price!  That money can buy more chickens!

I also like growing our own fruits and vegetables when I can.  And I love to can my own jellies, syrups, pickles and more.

Being a homesteader doesn’t make me different, it just makes me more aware of how I live!

And of course everyone has to have a Homestead Hound, Right?

I believe the definition for a homesteader is different for everybody.

Don’t think your a homesteader?

Take a look around your life and home.  You might be surprised!

The post Wait…..I’m a Homesteader? appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

Laundry…..Does it ever end?

Do you ever feel like a laundry fairy comes at night and reproduces all your dirty clothes?  I can FINALLY be caught up and then the next morning we have a huge pile again… URGGGG!!!!

I see two things that are going to have to happen…1) We are going to have to not change so many times during the day. (Why do you need to change so many times unless you are taking a shower and putting on clean clothes) or 2) Start going naked!

I’m really down to those 2 choices.

One thing I love to do is make homemade laundry soap. I love the fact that I can determine which ingredients to add, I also love the low cost and how long the detergent lasts my family. I almost feel like a June Cleaver! Oh wait, June probably never made her own laundry soap did she? But really, it’s super easy and I wanted to share my variation.

First, I start with my Ingredients:

Borax

Washing Soda (such as Arm and Hammer)

Bar Soap (I use Ivory, it’s so natural and so cheap)

Epson Salt

Essential oils (or in my case I try to buy epson salt already scented with lavender).

Second, I grate my bar soap on smallest grate possible.

Third, I get all my ingredients  measured.

2 Cups Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 grated bar of soap
1 Cup Epson Salt
and if you prefer scented
10 drops of essential oil

Finally, mix in a container and seal.

I use appx 2-3 tablespoons per load of laundry, depending on the load size
With 1 box of Borax, 1 box of Washing Soda, 2 bars of soap, and 32 oz of scented Epson Salt, I can make 4 batches of Laundry Detergent. Enough to last my family 3-4 months. (please keep in mind, I do a lot of laundry)

No judgement on the Ice Cream Bucket turned into Laundry Soap Bucket, needed!  Hey it works and that’s all that matters!

I also love Line-Dried Clothes.  I must confess though, I do put them in the dryer for about 10 minutes first to fluff and get any excess lent off of the clothes.  (Can’t stand the stiff feeling or maybe it’s just I would have to iron if I didn’t fluff them first loI) I can remember when I was little, we had a washing machine but no dryer.  All Spring, Summer and Fall, my momma would hang out our laundry to dry.  When Winter came, we would have to take Saturday Morning trips to the Laundry Mat.  I can remember after my momma passed away, my daddy finally went and tore down that old clothes line that was no saggy and worn from years of weather and use.

Maybe it’s from the line-dried clothes as a child, I’m not for sure, but there is just something so tranquil about hanging out my laundry and watching them blow dry in the wind.  I can see my clothes line from my bedroom window, and some days I go sit on my bed just to watch it blow back and forth.  Simplicity maybe? Or contentment?  All I know is a peaceful feeling that settles over me.

I would love to swap Laundry Soap Recipes!  Please feel free to Link me up to your Blog Posts!

The post DIY Homemade Powder Laundry Soap appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.