Hallway Makeover Part 1

Earlier this summer my family and I moved into a house that is over 40 years old. It's a lovely house but like any older house, it needs some updating. The first thing to get updated is the hallway.  The wallpaper had been halfway pulled off the wall, some of the sticky backing was still attached, and there is horrible laminated paneling on the lower half of the wall.  Now, I love wood and log homes, but they must be natural, not laminate.

I forgot to take pictures before I took the wall paper off, though you can see the pile of it on the floor, but here are some pictures after taking the wallpaper off.

There is a lot of work left to do, but if I do a bit each day it won't take too long.  I'm going to be posting pictures as we make progress.                                                                                           

Exciting News and Crocheting Time

     So, I've known but I haven't really made an announcement yet, but I'm pregnant.  I go in a week to find out the gender, which we want to know.  Of course I got the itch to start making all sorts of baby things but until we know the gender I can't really do much.....except start a baby blanket!  Right now the colors are neutral and depending if it's a boy or girl will determine the boarder color.

     As you can see I am almost out of the rainbow yarn so that means a trip to the craft store for me :)

     
    I just love the colors and like the traditional look of the granny squares.  Plus granny squares are so easy and fast to crochet, which is perfect for a busy gal like me.  I just can't wait to start making more things for the baby!    

Busy Day Yesterday

        I'm so ready for spring; gardening, warmer weather, shorts, and seeing everything "wake up" from the winter. I can't wait to start building my raised beds and getting my garden started this year.  I'm in a new house so, this is my first year to really experiment and give this whole homesteading thing a shot and figure out what works for me and my family.  I do have my raised beds drawn up and the lumber priced and I have a general idea on the layout of my garden; nothing set in stone yet since my want lis keeps getting longer and my ideas change.  I was fortunate enough to have the day off yesterday so my family and I worked on clearing some of the back yard up and I did start planting some of my herbs.

        I'm giving seeds a try this year.  So far I have thyme, oregano, parsley, and some bell pepper seeds starting.  I did go to Tractor Supply and get more seeds and will hopefully get to planting them tomorow or Tuesday.

       Also when I don't work nights I make dinner.  But last night my boyfriend surprised me and he offered to make dinner; great northern beans with onion and sausage, rice, and cornbread.  Boy was it delicious and I was thankful for a night off of cooking.  He put my new cast iron dutch oven to work and it did an amazing job with the beans.

 

       All in all we had a productive day yesterday and hopefully my next two days off will be even more productive.  I can't wait to see what all we can do on our little homestead!

Hope y'all have a blessed day and Happy Trails!
~Kat

First Post and a Little About Me

          Hey y'all! My name is Kat. I am 23, almost 24, and I love living a simple lifestyle.  I live in the South, where I was born and raised; 100% Southern Gal here. I love being outside, gardening, cooking, sewing, crafting, living simply, and learning how to live and thrive on a homestead.  I have an amazing boyfriend who supports and helps me with starting this journey to homesteading.  He is such a trooper, he gets to hear all my ideas and goes along with them no matter how crazy they may be.  He also has a 6 year old daughter who is the most boyish girl I have ever had the pleasure of calling mine.  She loves to dress up yet is almost always willing to help with any chores.  As far as animal go, I currently have my trusty horse, Dee Dee.  She has been my companion for 10 years and counting.            

         The purpose of me starting this blog is so not only can people of likemindedness read about my adventures thru all this, but also so I can document my gleanings and progress.  I am completely open to correvtive critisism and love to hear feedback and tips and tricks from fellow homesteaders; this is all a learning experience and I will gladly take any help that comes my way.

        I pray I can actually keep this blog going this time, I've tried many times before with no luck.  But when I find time between working 40+ hours a week, taking care of my boyfriend and daughter, and life, I will make time to write and blog.

Happy Trails and talk to you soon!
~Kat