Tag Archives: Ranch Life

Halloween Decorating – Homestead Style!

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by Texas Homesteader ~

We don’t typically decorate for Halloween, but the weaning calves weren’t hearing of it.

We weren't going to decorate for Halloween but the calves would't hear of it. They presented their own rendition of 'Spooky Haybale' #TexasHomesteader

They did their own rendition of ‘Spooky Hay Bale’.

Good job, kids!

~TxH~

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Top 10 Best Homesteading Posts – Yearly Roundup Edition

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Y’all know I started this little ole blog of mine back in 2013. It was a hard year for us, I’d just been diagnosed with breast cancer. But RancherMan suggested I begin writing about our lives here on our Homestead. So we started a blog, I started writing and even all these years later I’m still here. I love writing about our lives and sharing snippets of our days!

I started doing a feature at the end of each year where I share my post popular homesteading posts of the year. Of course I’ll do that this year as well but I thought it would be fun to share a recap of all the post popular posts by year.  Each year’s top 10 homesteading posts right here in one place!

Here are the Top 10 Homesteading Posts on our page for each year since 2013. This is the yearly roundup version - each year's top 10 in one place!

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What Working At Home Really Means (And What It DOESN’T)

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by Texas Homesteader ~

When RancherMan & I bought this little piece of paradise several years ago, we were still commuting to Dallas every weekday for our corporate jobs.  I was finally able to convince my boss to allow me to telecommute three times each week. Sweet!  Hearing the radio drone on & on about the horrific traffic jams that were always present in my typical route, I’d simply grab a cup of coffee & ‘log in’ on my computer.

Commute Time: 2 minutes!  🙂

But I was always super sensitive about the perception to my in-office cohorts regarding my working from home. I went out of my way to make sure my all my work efforts were very clearly visible. Plus I was always instantly available by office video chat.

And I purposely worked many more hours than I was being paid for ‘just to be fair‘. Oftentimes I worked well into the night and on weekends too. Still I felt there was a false perception by my coworkers regarding the time I put in for my employer.

Working At Home often gives others the false perception that you have lots of free time. Whether self employed, homeschooler or stay-at-home parent, it's hard work! #TexasHomesteader

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Join Us For A Day On The Homestead

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by Texas Homesteader ~

D’ya ever wonder what it was like to be on a Texas Homestead?  I thought it would be fun to share… Here each day offers something new.  Some days we’re focused on land maintenance like mowing pastures or repairing fences.  Other days we might focus on bees, the garden or the cattle.  But this week we had one day in particular that ended up being a very challenging day for us. 

The temps that had once cooled nicely had made a wicked resurgence.  On this day between the heat & humidity it was supposed to feel like sweltering triple digits.  So RancherMan & I decided to work the cattle early in the morning while it’s cooler. That’s when everything went south…

Did you ever wonder what a day on the homestead was like? Join me to see what tasks are on tap at our N.E. Texas Homestead #TexasHomesteader

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Chiggers: Separating Fact & Fallacy Plus Crazy Remedies

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Summer is here for sure in NE Texas y’all.  It’s HOT!  Now I love Texas, but we have some pesky things to deal with here.  The heat & humidity are certainly something to contend with.  And some of the bugs & pests are too.  Out here on the Homestead I’m constantly on the lookout for copperhead snakes, stinging wasps, scorpions, fire ants and to me the worst offender – the tiny chigger.

Oh the chiggers are brutal this time of year.  You stroll out into your pasture to check the cows and before you know it you’re covered with maddenly itchy red bumps.  This discomfort can stay for 2-3 weeks in some cases.  YIKES!  There are many home remedies for chigger bites, and much misinformation as well.  Today I thought I’d address the chigger and its tormentious bite.

Chiggers - we've all dealt with them, right? Oh the misery of their itching which can last for weeks. I've heard some crazy cures, most of them WRONG! #TexasHomesteader

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Hairstyle Simplicity On The Homestead – Lilla Rose!

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Several years ago I saw a one-piece infinity-shaped hair clip in my sister-in-law’s hair and I loved it. It was so pretty, so feminine.  I asked her where she got it but she said she couldn’t remember, that she’d had it for years.

Several weeks later I stumbled upon an image of Lilla Rose FlexiClips and excitedly realized that’s the type of clip my SIL had worn!  I bought a couple of those hair clips for myself. Even though I felt they were kinda pricey for a hair clip at about $11 – $15, I found that I loved them.  I ended up buying several more in a couple of different sizes. They’re so feminine and so easy to use – especially when I just wanna sweep my hair back without fussing too much. Y’all know I hate fuss!

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Homestead Hack: MYO Low-Waste Chicken Feeder

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I enjoy raising chickens.  But we’re also fans of doing things ourselves.  So when we needed a chicken feeder we took a trip to a thrift store.  We made our own feeder from thrifted supplies costing only about $2 total.  All we used was an old metal lid and a plastic Rubbermaid canister.  It served us well for years but finally the canister portion succumbed to the elements.  Now what??!

You know what I say: “Use Whatcha Got!”.  Check out this Homestead Hack & see how we easy (and with NO out of pocket) repaired our chicken feeder for many more years of service.

Check out this Homestead Hack & see how we used an empty, repurposed coffee canister to make a low-waste chicken feeder for cheap! #TexasHomesteader

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How To Protect Your Skin WITHOUT Using Sunblock

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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Sun protection is important, y’all! Our ranch is located in Northeast Texas where heat & humidity are the daily forecast almost every day during summer months.  But our work days are filled with outside chores such as working cattle or repairing fences, gardening or mowing pastures. Even though we spend many hours in the sun, I shy away from using sunblock whenever possible. Why?

Although sunblock is marketed as safe and effective, I just don’t know how I feel about slathering chemicals on my skin several times each and every day. Now don’t get me wrong, there are times when it makes sense to use sunblock.  But today I’m sharing seven easy ways I’m able to protect my skin from the sun’s harmful rays without resorting to sunblock.

Sun Protection is important but for me sunblock is used only as a last resort. Come see 7 easy way I protect my skin without sunblock #TexasHomesteader

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