Planning & Mindset

Can sustainable living save the world? Julie updates you on her health, the homestead, and makes a big announcement.

Join Julie in the forested wetland of our homestead for a cancer update and conversation about the metaphor of a quest through the dark enchanted forest might help us all.

Recurrence is the worst fear of nearly every cancer survivor I know. That fear has come true for us. Julie's cancer has returned.

When the weight of humanity feels too heavy to bear, it usually helps to spend time surrounded by nature. Join us for a quick trip off the homestead to the Skagit Valley for some winter birding.

This week we talk about Barry Lopez’s book of essays, “Embrace Fearlessly this Burning World”, and how to help each other find the way home.

Come for the tactical tips and stay for encouragement. In the vlog this week Julie shares her tips on selecting vegetable garden seeds. She also shares more about her week and how sustainable living is a non-linear journey.

Here’s a hint: It involves both accountability and encouragement. Julie follows up with you on the New Year's conversation and shares plans for the spring garden. Did you do the one-small-thing challenge?

A new year provides an opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn't over the last 12 months, and then set some intentions for the coming seasons. Join Julie as she invites you to take a deeper look at your dreams and shares some exciting news about what to expect from us in 2023.

Join us for a visit to Hawthorn Farm, an 8-acre community teaching farm. Alexia shares with us how they are transforming suburbia into a permaculture paradise. Beware: lots of goat and pony footage!

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to live sustainably long term? Or what it’s like to homestead after retirement? We talk about these things and much more on our field trip to the homestead of our good friends Peter and Mary.

Is your garden not thriving? Do you fear you may have accidentally poisoned it? There is hope! Here's the story of how we accidentally destroyed - and then healed - our garden soil. This video and article are filled with practical tips to repair or remediate damaged soil as well as advice on how to avoid this experience all together.

Homesteading with chronic illness and pain can present different challenges. The fatigue that we experience is real. Yet homesteading can also be an incredible path to healing. In this article Julie shares six secrets that have helped them not just survive but thrive as homesteaders.

This article goes over tip #1 in the Planning and Mindset category of our Quick Start Guide to Homesteading: Know your why. Learn what it means to know your why, and how it’s the secret to becoming a successful homesteader.

An introduction to our new series, all about how to get started with homesteading for beginners. We share our Homesteading Fundamentals Framework and what you can look forward to in the series.

Have you ever wondered what homesteading is exactly? Or how to answer the question, “Why homestead when you can just go to the grocery store?” This article covers these questions and much more.

Homesteading is as American as apple pie. But how did this whole homesteading thing start? What were the impacts? How did it evolve over time? Join me on a deep dive into this fascinating history.

When people think about homesteading, they often think about an isolated homestead that is completely self-sufficient. But here's a secret: None of us go it alone. And that can be a beautiful thing.

This is part 2 in a series where we take you to Alderleaf Wilderness College. If you haven't yet checked out part 1, be sure to start there. In this post co-founder Jason talks about how they used a permaculture approach to turn their property in a thriving homestead.

Take a field trip to Alderleaf Wilderness College and Farm! We covered so much on our visit that we will be sharing it in installments. This week learn more about Jason, the co-founder, and what they do.

Are you looking for a simple, cost effective, low maintenance way to prevent snails and slugs from eating your garden? I’ve found a method that works - and you don’t even need to kill them!

Have you struggled with keeping wildlife like deer and rabbits out of your garden? In this video Kevin shares strategies for keeping animals out of our raised bed and container garden by thinking like an animal when constructing a fence.