Author: deannaren

DIY Furniture Rehab: Giving an Outdated Hutch New Life

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

Last year I was looking for a hutch for our dining room. I didn’t want to buy something brand new, most new furniture just isn’t great quality and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I decided to get something used and give it a makeover! If you know me IRL then you know I LOVE a good DIY project, I usually have 3 or 4 (or 10) going at any given time.

I would occasionally browse Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for someone getting rid of a hutch. I set my top dollar limit at $100 which did limit my options but if I was going to be putting a lot of sweat equity into it I wasn’t willing to spend more. There were a few that looked promising but nothing panned out.

Continue reading →

Home Cookin’: Perfect French Fries, Poutine, and Hotdogs

/ deannaren / 1 Comment

I enjoy cooking but my hubby LOVES cooking, he spoils me with all kinds of yummy homemade meals. Yesterday he made yummy poutine (french fries, cheese curds, and gravy) and Sonoran hot dogs. These two dishes wouldn’t normally be served together but he wanted to make french fries to go with the hotdogs and had a craving for poutine, he called it North of the Border/South of the Border.

Yummy Sonoran hotdog and Poutine or as hubby calls it “North of the Border/South of the Border”.
Continue reading →

Hello and how’ve you been?!

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

After letting my blog sit idle for almost three years (yikes!), I’m bringing it back! Life has been busy these last few years and it’s been difficult to find time to write, I’ll try to do better this time! 🙂

During these COVID pandemic times I’ve been working on some house projects and gardening. My job has shifted to a work from home environment and the company I work for has done a major reorganization in my department (great time for more changes, guys! lol). Oh yeah, I went back to work last year! I work in Treasury Management for an established mid-sized bank holding company. It keeps me busy and is helping meet some financial goals I’ve set (and making additions to the Homestead). Progress on the Homestead has been slow, my Dad and I have both been busy with other things and the era of social distancing is making everything a little more challenging. We’re hoping to make some progress on it this Fall though!

It’s been a long week and I’ve got a busy day planned so I’ll keep this short, there’s a lot to catch up on but it’s too much for one post! 🙂 Look for more posts soon!

Cheers,

D

Celebrating One Year On The Farm!

/ deannaren / 1 Comment

It was exactly one year ago today that I packed the last of my belongings into my car and left the city that had been my home for 20 years. My destination was my family farm! I can’t believe it’s been a year! Actually, yes I can. 🙂 Living in your parents guest bedroom for a year doesn’t exactly make the days go by quickly. 🙂 I never would’ve believed my house wouldn’t be finished after my first year on the farm (but it’ll be soon! I think). I thought today, on the one year anniversary of my move to the farm, it would be fun to remember the things that I have done on my homestead (because it’s so easy to think about the big thing that isn’t done). Continue reading →

Wild Edibles: Chicken of the Woods

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I came across a large edible mushroom called Chicken of the Woods, I’d never seen one before but I’d heard my parents talk about it. Normally I’m a bit leery of eating wild mushrooms, if you misidentify something you can make yourself very sick. That’s the good thing about Chicken of the Woods: there’s no poisonous look alike! Although, some people say varieties that grow on eucalyptus and conifer trees can cause a little tummy upset so you may want to stick with the hardwood trees (I found mine on the root of a dead oak tree). Continue reading →

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

For the last month or so one of our ducks (Millie) has been sitting a nest in our barn. I’ve been watching her every day. Then one day last week I saw little yellow, downy fuzz sticking out from under her and could hear the faintest little chirping. The eggs had hatched! I knew she would stay on her nest for at least a day to let the ducklings gain strength before their big journey to the pond. I kept a close watch until I saw her making the first moves to leave the nest. Since we have barn cats that might think baby duck would be a yummy treat, I stayed close by until all our web-footed friends made it safely out. I snapped some pictures of their journey, I hope you enjoy them!

IMG_0349

Leaving the safety of their nest for the first time! I couldn’t believe when they all came out and I counted 14 of them. 14!

Continue reading →

Life on the farm: Some days it’s sunshine & butterflies, other days you slip and fall in a mud puddle…

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

Eh, at least it wasn’t a big muddy, poo puddle! That happens sometimes too. 🙂

After I fell in the puddle I decided it was going to be a work inside day, I’d finished all of my morning chores and it’s been raining on and off all morning. Besides, I’ve got plenty of things to catch up on. So here I am, freshly showered (I was really covered in mud, it was even in my hair) and ready to get to work.  Continue reading →

We’re Remodeling!

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

Hello all! Remember Larry the goat? Well, Larry has been in a temporary stall in my parents barn for the last few weeks (he was too small to put in with the bigger goats). But that’s about to change! My dad has been building some permanent stalls in their barn and one will be just for Larry. 🙂 Continue reading →

Darn Opossums, Opossuming Around

/ deannaren / Leave a comment

We finally beat the heat wave! Cooler temps moved in over the weekend (finally!) and it’s been so nice. We actually turned the AC off and have been enjoying the fresh air with the windows open. Last night Samson woke me up at around 2:45 AM just barking his head off (that’s the downside to sleeping with the windows open). I tried to ignore it for a while but we’ve had a horrible time with raccoons and other small animals causing trouble so, finally, a little after 3 I went out to see what was going on. I took a big spotlight with me so I could see what he was barking at. Everything was quiet, except Samson. All the turkeys, chickens, goats, and barn cats were sound asleep so I went back inside. About 5 minutes later Samson started in again! Continue reading →