But in April 2022, we quickly and unexpectedly went from a 1,200 square foot apartment with a small balcony as our only outdoor space, to a 100 acre farm with a garden almost triple the size of our apartment (3,234 square feet, to be exact). We went from no pets to a flock of over three dozen laying hens, three rabbits, and an annual batch of 75 meat chickens.

It was my childhood home, and right after moving in, my parents went out west to visit my sister for 6 weeks, leaving me to plant the garden, something I’d never done and had never had interest in. But if there was going to be a garden that year (and I wanted there to be due to the food chain supply disruptions we had seen over the last couple of years), I had to learn to do it, and I had to learn fast.

It’s Never Too Late to Learn

So I went to YouTube University. I devoured everything I could about gardening. It was a steep learning curve, but I found because I had a “why” behind my motivation (which was simply wanting to learn to be more self-sufficient), I happily dove in head-first, and actually enjoyed it (there was some stress involved, mind you). That first garden was a success, and though the subsequent two have had their ups and downs, I’ve discovered that failure is just learning in disguise.

Fast forward two and a half years, and we have now moved to a house in town (I made sure it had a huge yard so I could continue homesteading). But the great part is, skills are transferable. In my time at the farm, not only did I teach myself how to garden, but also how to can, take care of chickens and rabbits, and bake with sourdough. Am I an expert at any of this? Absolutely not.

But if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that anyone can learn anything. And that’s what this blog is about. In the spare moments I can find in between homeschooling, homesteading, and homemaking, I will share the easy and tangible tips I’ve learned that have made learning any new skill less daunting, and more doable.

What Can You Expect Here?

Whether you want to learn how to homeschool, garden, harvest, preserve, cook real food from scratch with straightforward, no fuss recipes (even if you have picky eaters that make this endeavour more frustrating), bake with sourdough, raise chickens, or just become more self-sufficient and learn lost skills in general, this is the place for you. Let’s live more naturally, simply, slowly, traditionally (note I didn’t say easily).

And we’ll do all this without getting overwhelmed. Because believe it or not, there’s no right or wrong way to do any of those things. So we’ll take it slow, one step at a time. We’re all busy, so let’s be realistic about what we can handle in whatever season of life we’re in. Let’s stop comparing our Day One to someone else’s Year Five. No one can live up to that kind of pressure, so don’t put it on yourself.

I want this to be a space where you’re inspired and feel encouraged, enabled, and empowered to start whatever it is you’ve been wanting to start, or learn whatever it is you’ve been wanting to learn. Life is too short to let fear or doubt hold you back; it’s better when you make space for what you love.

After all, it’s the little things that make a big life.