Month: January 2025

I cherish the wonderful memories of my childhood – memories of mom and I spending time in the kitchen baking various types of breads, rolls and pastries. However, mealtime menus left me wanting! This ultimately set me up to become a culinary catastrophe in later years.

Don’t get me wrong, I can follow a recipe with the best of them! However, growing up in a household with a father who believed mealtime fare should only consist of “meat and potatoes and oodles of noodles,” was a challenge!

Seasonings and certain vegetables – especially the spicier ones – were considered “verboten” – not allowed! This was mainly due to his stomach issues, however, sometimes I wonder if he just didn’t want to try something new?!?

Because of this, I had no idea how to incorporate herbs and seasonings into my meals when I ventured out on my own!

I eventually dated a man who loved to cook! Almost everything he made was delicious! Almost…

Once, there was the huge pancake that was burnt on one side and runny on the other… the orange chicken that no one wanted to eat… and the gravy that was so thick you could cut it with a fork!

Over the course of 5+ years, that’s an amazing record!

In fact, we could take the same 3 ingredients – ground beef, peas and noodles – and I would make hamburgers with a side of buttered noodles and peas, while he created Beef Stroganoff!

I was envious of his skill!

It wasn’t until I became an independent consultant with this company, that I truly started to discover how to create delicious meals for my family. For this, I am grateful!

I wouldn’t say I’m ready to call myself a Mealtime Maestro, but I do believe Culinary Catastrophe is a thing of the past!

Until next time,

Peace, love, safe travels and happy homesteading!

~ Sheri

Thank you for using my affiliate links. I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you! Both mom and I appreciate your support! ❤

Deciding what to grow in your garden is not always an easy decision! For example, when I look through seed catalogs or go to the local garden center, I’m mesmerized by all the delicious varieties I can choose from! Is it any wonder that I want to purchase everything I see?!?

But then I come back to earth and remember I’m working with very limited space!

Since we travel in our little homestead on wheels, we choose to stay in campgrounds that allow us to have a small garden… and even though we’re planning to move, we’re still looking forward to another garden this spring!

However, this year we’re using our Green Stalk planter – this allows us to grow a larger garden in a smaller amount of space!

Yet no matter the size, our gardens take a lot of planning and preparation! For instance, I’m already devising a plan on what we’re going to grow!

To start with, we’ll begin with what we like to eat!

When it’s too hot to cook, we take pleasure in Tomato and Mayo sandwiches! So, of course, you’ll find several Beef Steak Tomato plants! And since I enjoy cooking from scratch, you’ll find Roma Tomatoes for my homemade spaghetti sauce!

We’ll add bell peppers – all colors – and spinach too! Plus, my favorite ‘go-to’ herbs such as oregano, parsley and thyme! And, if space allows, we’ll include zucchini and watermelon!

Having unearthed last years seed packets, we’ll test them to see they’re still viable and make a list of seeds we’ll need to purchase!

Since the south has a longer growing season, we’re researching cool weather plants that can be planted in containers – in February – such as potatoes, carrots, peas and radishes. I may even try a few things I’ve never grown before such as turnips and mustard.

Ultimately, our goal is to improve our skillsets and correct mistakes of the past!

Until next time,

Peace, love, safe travels and happy homesteading!

~ Sheri

Although mom and I are in the process of preparing to move, I’m taking time to review the previous year. Looking back, I want to see what worked and what didn’t.

Since moms health forced us off the road, we chose to ‘bloom where we were planted!’

We focused on our square foot garden. However, being unfamiliar with the sandy soil of the south, we had more challenges than expected!

Reviewing the past allows me to reflect… to revise… and resolve to improve… allowing myself to learn from past mistakes!

As I’ve examined our former efforts, I’ve realized our goals were unrealistic… and, I’ve come to the conclusion that I didn’t really have a plan… Instead, I just left things happen…

What’s more, when circumstances happened that were beyond my control, I basically got knocked on my can!

This newfound knowledge has me revising my plans for our garden this year. I’m also taking the time to educate myself with essential information needed for growth – both personally and in the garden!

Take last year’s garden for example… We had some issues with our tomato plants that could have been avoided had we simply put a self-watering system into place!

Before this years growing season begins, I’m asking myself some all-important questions:

• Do I need to test my soil? Is there something happening that’s not visible to the naked eye?
• Are my seeds still viable or should I order more?
• Am I growing the right crops for our soil?
• Are there techniques I can put into place that will cut down on my weeding and watering?
• Should I stick to a 4×4 square foot garden or expand?
• Is there a better time of day to work around our little homestead on wheels?

Wanting to make the most of our garden this year, I’m doing everything possible to set myself up for a successful year of gardening!

Until next time,

Peace, love and happy homesteading,

~ Sheri

It’s hard to believe how much stuff the two of us have crammed into our little homestead on wheels! Now, as we begin preparing for travel, I find that I need to do some necessary downsizing!

While it’s true that traveling in an RV allows us to take along most of the comforts of home, we do have to limit what we take due to weight restrictions while traveling. For example: certain roadways or bridges have ‘maximum weight limits,’ therefore, anything over a certain weight is forbidden.

With this in mind, we like to pack light.

When it comes to clothing, we stick to the “sevens rule.” Seven pairs of pants, seven shirts, seven pairs of socks… you get the idea!

And as for dishes, since there is only the two of us, we usually take 4 of everything… 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 cups and 4 sets of silverware… two for us, and two for any guests we have over for dinner!

While we’re good in those areas, we do have other items we’ve accumulated. So now, we have to figure out what we can live without! Once that’s reckoned with, we’ll donate to local charities, or see if someone we know can make use of our bits and bobs!

One area I personally need to scale down is the amount of books I’ve collected since arriving! I enjoy reading, and although I know I can read books online, there is just something special about turning the pages of a cherished book!

Another area is my beloved kitchen gadgets! As an independent consultant, I enjoy sharing products that make life easier in the kitchen! Therefore, I have accumulated a number of items for my own kitchen! I mean really, is there such a thing as having too many kitchen tools?!?

Until next time,

Peace, love and happy homesteading!

~ Sheri

Thank you for using my affiliate links. I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you! Both mom and I appreciate your support! ❤)