Our Top 5 Christmas Traditions at Home

Christmas and Thanksgiving are perhaps our most favorite time of year as a family. We break out the decorations for Thanksgiving and as soon as December 1st arrives, Thanksgiving is replaced by Christmas. As a family, we have started many of our own traditions and also maintained a few of the ones we grew up …

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How to Can Zesty Zucchini Pickles

What to do with all the zucchini the garden produces each year?  You can let it go to waste, or you can preserve it, so the crisp taste of your garden can be with you long after the season is over.  The challenge for most people who garden is how to preserve your harvest, so …

A View to a Quiche

What inspired me to even attempt making a quiche happened many years ago.  My wife was out for the evening, and I was having a guy’s night in celebrating with a James Bond Marathon.  During the film A View to A Kill 1985 starring Roger Moore as James Bond and Christopher Walken as the villain, …

Breakfast a labor of love

Our wood cook stove is truly the heart of the home during the winter.  It heats the home, cooks our food, and heats the home's domestic hot water.  Thanks for joining us on this quick video on us cooking breakfast on the wood cook stove, a true labor of love. If you have never cooked …

Cistern Pump Quick Change

When the pump failed, I knew I had to change it before I left for work.  If I left the house before changing the cistern pump, my family would be without water for the day.  Unless they hand bucketed it from the cistern.  This was an early morning emergency that turned out well considering. Behind …

Snow Throwing the Roof & Wife’s Surprise

Our derelict cabin left by the original owners of our property has been slowly disintegrating with each winter.  One section almost collapsed, and in the past, I did a video in which I hand shoveled the roof to prevent the cabins creaking demise.  It was hard work, and I couldn't physically do it again without …

Dog Gone It!

Losing your dog can be a traumatic event in Northern Idaho. If it isn't the wildlife, there is also the real possibility of a neighbor releasing a barrage of defensive fire. In this clip, I explain a moment in which we lost our dog during a snow storm, the importance of finding her, and how …

Tractor + Generator = Power

Before we even bought our land and were planning our off grid homestead, we wanted a diesel generator as our backup power system for those endless cloudy days.  Why? Because, the cost of dyed diesel is cheaper, and, most importantly, I don't have to worry about the fuel going bad after a few months of …

Snowplow Success!

This is my final post on the snowplow this year.  It has been a battle with the carburetor, battery and electrical system, as well as a replacement of the entire pump and motor assembly.  I am happy to say the snowplow truck functioned the entire season without a major break down unlike the 1st and …

Easy Do-it-Yourself Mousetrap (Very Effective)

Our battle with the chicken coop seems to be unending.  When the mice moved in and discovered the chickens had a bountiful supply of food, the battle began.  First, we removed our chickens' food at night to prevent the mice' thievery.  But, they still seemed to propagate.  I began setting mouse traps and competed with …