About Erin Baker

Posts by Erin Baker:

Farmhouse Motif Experiences an Increase

If you look back throughout history, there have been many different housing trends. People have adjusted their home style to fit their way of living at that time. The exception is today’s world in which we seem to be taking a look back at “simpler” times. It is shown most in how we are seeing a trend of farmhouse motif increasing straight across the board and in areas all around the United States.

A Journey Throughout Housing History

Just looking at home history since the 60s, we have seen a variety of different trends. The 60s were a time of ranch homes, which are still undeniably popular. These homes can have split levels or multilevel.

In the 70s, we chose homes that would offer multiple levels. The Raised Ranch style home, as well as apartment-style homes, gained popularity.

The 80s were the perfect counter to the large 70-style home. Some people focused more on the idea of “less is more” and chose to own small condos. Others wanted massive homes with family rooms and more than enough space for the people in their family.

This flowed into the 90s when every home had at least two stories and a basement for extra space. Master bedrooms were massive in size as well.

The early 2000s focused on doing more with less area. Open concept homes that were smaller were the preferred style of choice.

In today’s world, we have seen homes continue to get smaller. Think of tiny homes and how many people dream of owning a home that can fit on a small trailer or be towed by a pickup. Then you also have the other side of it. People that enjoy both big and small tend to enjoy farmhouse sinks, wooden cabinetry, and more “rustic appeal.”

Rustic Beauty, Simple Style

One of the biggest things about rustic style furniture is its design. It is designed to be “natural”. If there is paint, it is earth tone colors and often scuffed as though it has been there for years. Beyond that, you have the farmhouse doorways, sinks, and tables. The more wood you have, the more rustic it appears, the happier most people are with the end result.

One of the most popular techniques for working with rustic furniture is the use of liquid glass for table top and bar tops. This allows people to put a protective layer of beautiful, natural wood. It brings out the color in the grain and allows fantastic wood pieces to be used in all areas of the home without worry.

Creating Farmhouse Decor is Fun

Anytime you create something, you will be happier with the final product. By creating with the idea of rustic charm, you can broaden your horizons and take creativity to the next level. This includes creating wooden countertops, tables, coffee tables with photographs or keepsakes encapsulated, river tables, and more. It allows you to bring the charm of a wood cabin to your city home if you choose.

Naturally Deter Insects

Natural Pest Control for Small Farms

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Small farmers have a lot of different things to worry about. A sudden freeze when newly planted seeds and sprouts can be devastating to their crops. The same is true for too much rain or too little of it. They must also worry about a rapid increase in insects. However, most farms, and homesteads, prefer to avoid using chemicals or pesticides on crops, fearing that it will cause more damage than good. Instead of pest control chemicals, many have begun to discover the effectiveness of natural pest control for small farms.

Damage Bugs Cause

PlantersThere is no denying it. Bugs are all around us. For a gardener, not all of them are bad, but many of them are. There are some bugs that may linger around the garden, simply to eat the bugs that are bad for plants. They are a farmer’s best friend. Chemicals and pesticides would get rid of each type, and most farmers don’t want that. The worst bugs for a garden include aphids, corn earworms, tomato hornworms, vine borers, cucumber beetles, and many others. They use your plant as food, often killing it or eating the fruit that it may produce. Then, you must also think about the moisture content of your garden, and the unsavory creatures that are going to be drawn to it. This includes mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Even if they do not directly affect the crops, you may still want them gone in order to avoid being uncomfortable while you pull weeds or collect the fruit of your labor.

Naturally Keep Bad Pests Away

Naturally Deter Insects

Naturally Deter Insects

If aphids are attacking your garden, you can use a dish soap and water solution. Simply spray it on your plants and aphids will move out immediately. If you have a garden that is filled with ants, you can sprinkle cayenne pepper on the ground. Watering will wash it away so you may want to invest in a fair amount, but it will be worth it. It also keeps cats out of the garden where they may go in search of a litter box. A good all-round natural pesticide is diatomaceous earth. Epsom salt sprinkled around plants will run off insects and help the plant’s roots to become healthier.

If you are searching for plants that can help you, you can choose marigolds, chrysanthemums, lavender, mint, basil, and more. Citronella grass is also useful for keeping mosquitoes out and will naturally reduce noseeums. This means it will benefit you as well as your garden.

Watch Your Garden Grow Healthy

Citronella

Citronella

Part of the enjoyment of growing a garden is being able to watch it flourish and provide you with fruit and vegetables. Your enjoyment should not be diminished because of a bug infestation, whether it is insects that bother you or kill your plants. By knowing tricks that you can use to naturally eliminate them, you can avoid the issue of, “to spray or not to spray” and simply enjoy knowing you are providing a healthy place for your garden to grow. Naturally.

Journey Off The Grid

Off-Grid Power Generator Solutions

In today’s world, there are many people choosing to live “off the grid”. They build homes in the middle of nowhere. They travel from place to place in tiny homes. They are unconnected to traditional power lines and happier than ever with their choices to be free. Since they live off the grid, you may think that they have to give up the things we love the most about our modern lives. This is not true. There are many off-grid power generator solutions that can power heat and air units, refrigerators, and more.

An Off-Grid Lifestyle

Journey Off The GridWhen living off the grid, you ditch the traditional way of life. You may grow your own food. You may embrace hunting and fishing. You may harvest rain water for flushing your toilet or watering your garden. There are many options available. It simply depends on how far off the grid you want to be. Most people live off the grid without sacrificing television, smart phones, laptops, or other technology. This is made possible by the power generators that they set up wherever they go.

Powering and Off-Grid Life

The people who embrace living off the traditional power grid have discovered ways to have it all. They ditch expensive power bills by choosing other power solutions. The main three options include:

Wind Power:

This type of power uses a wind to provide power. As the wind blows it spins a propeller blade. These blades capture kinetic energy and send it to a generator inside the rotating housing behind the blades. From this, it generates electricity.

Wind Power

Generator Power:

Generators are used both on the grid and off. Even your power company will use a generator. There are portable generators available to people who want to live off the grid. A quiet generator can power homes in all locations using natural gas, solar power, gasoline, and diesel. Some are designed to work off more than one type of fuel, depending on availability in your area.

Solar Power:

Solar power is the use of our sun to provide power using photovoltaic solar panels. They are often installed on the roof of an off the grid home. On sunny days, your solar panels will harness the sun’s power in a battery, where it will be stored until it is necessary.

Pros and Cons

Solar Power OptionsIf you want the most efficient type of natural power, then many say that solar is your best option. There are fewer moving parts in solar panels than there are in wind power generators. However, if you look at the numbers, at most 20% of the sun’s energy can be converted and about 60% of the wind can be converted into power. Therefore, it has been proven that wind power is available 24/7 and one wind turbine can provide as much as a thousand solar panels. Wind does provide the most power output, but wind turbines require a lot of space. They are also not easily moved from one place to another. A generator can provide ample power for most homes, even larger ones. You only need the fuel to power them.

The cost of solar or wind power is dropping, but so far solar is cheaper to run if you want to use a renewable energy source. It still requires quite an investment to get solar power setup. You could pay up to $29,000 depending on the size of your home. Most generators can be purchased for a few hundred dollars.

When trying to decide which is best for your off the grid lifestyle, you will have to make sure you do your research. What can you afford, how much power do you need, and how permanent do you want it to be? These are all important questions for you to consider before you decide.

Making Money From…. Manure

It is a simple, universal fact that Mother Nature has a sense of humor. There usually isn’t a better way to describe the urges that we all have to go to the bathroom. It is a fact of nature that makes little boys giggle and once it hits, no one can deny its power. Humans and all animals do it. You can be driving along a road and see a dog doing it or visit a zoo where you may see large animals taking care of it. As luck would have it, some farmers also use this natural ability to make money from manure.Manure Drive

Farmers and Manure

Manure For SaleNo one can deny that manure is useful as a fertilizer. When manures absorbed by soil, nutrients release into the soil. These nutrients can increase the moisture content of sandy soils. It also loosens compacted soil. It adds carbon to the soil so that more nutrients can get into the soil. It is also able to reduce runoff, which can deplete nitrates. Manure is also very slow to release its nutrients. This means you can fertilize less often and avoid worry that your soil will have too much nitrogen. Most often, we think of cow dung for fertilizer, but this is not the only situation where fecal matter can be used.

Odd Uses for Animal Dung

Since B.C. times, people have used dung in some very interesting ways. They have used crocodile dung as a birth control method and to give their face a pasty white appearance. Cow dung was once used for building material in Britain. Llama dung has proven effective as a pollution fighting agent. All you have to do is run contaminated water through it. Llama manure tea is also used in gardens and other areas. It is a popular choice because there are fewer seeds and plant matter in their dung.

In 1862, gunpowder was also made using manure and urine mixed together. It created saltpeter. The saltpeter was then harvested and used to create an explosive combination. Confederate states were even encouraged to collect their urine and do their part to aid in the Civil War.

Creative Minds Using Natural Items

In today’s world, we usually only think of dung as potential manure. However, not all people let their creativity end there. Moose droppings are very common souvenirs in Maine, Colorado, Alaska, and Canada. In some countries, flying squirrel dung may end female reproductive issues. This includes pain and menstrual cramps. Elephant dung is useful in creating paper. One elephant can create about 115 pages a day.

It seems that our fascination with all things poop will never end. In the UK, the Isle of Wight Zoo has erected a museum thats dedicated to fecal matter. The poop you will find there comes in all sizes, shapes, and textures. You will find samples from lions, skunks, and even human infants. To ensure that it is not a stinky place to be, poo is dried for up to a year. This ensures we get the thrill of viewing without the nausea of smelling.

bowels

How Does Medical Marijuana Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, then you know that finding relief is a crucial aspect of your life. Depending on the severity and frequency of your symptoms, you may be prescribed all kinds of medicine and treatments to help keep your digestive system under control. However, one method that is proving to be effective is medical cannabis. Although treatment of IBS with this drug is still relatively new, the benefits are quite promising and worth looking into.

What Causes IBS?

One of the reasons that medical marijuana seems to be having such a profound effect has to do with the underlying reason that you get the condition in the first place. A theory posted in 2008 by Dr. Ethan Russo suggested that the syndrome was related to a deficiency in the body’s endocannabinoids. These are naturally occurring in the body and help regulate all kinds of systems, from digestion to sleep to your overall mood.

Although more research needs to be conducted to find conclusive evidence of this theory, it would make perfect sense why cannabis seems to be such an effective treatment of IBS, since it can help increase the amount of endocannabinoids in the system.

Peripheral Side Effects

While indigestion, cramps, and constipation are common physiological effects of IBS, the fact is that it can create other symptoms that are more psychosomatic, such as depression. It’s quite common for IBS sufferers to have panic attacks or anxiety related to the condition as they become nervous about their next encounter.

As such, treatments like medical marijuana and Whoopi and Maya bath salts have been shown to alleviate these symptoms as well as the physical side effects of IBS, making the treatment even more alluring.

Weed Delivery Near Me

If you are interested in seeing what cannabis can do for your condition, then you can search online for companies that will deliver your prescription to you. Not only is it more convenient, but it also allows you to shop around and find the strain that works best.

Don’t continue to suffer from IBS. Talk to your doctor and see if medical marijuana is right for you so you can start feeling better.

Country Home

3 Of The Best Things About Country Life

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He lives in a house in the country…

What do you think of when you think about “Living in the country”?

Some people might say “oh it’s a great life”. Some people will still swear by the city life but these people have probably never been in the countryside much or can’t see the positives of a country life.

There are just some things in the country life that the city life can’t provide. I’ve listed just three of these things below, maybe it will entice you over to the country-side!

  1. There’s more peace and quiet

If you’re someone who has made the switch from the city life over tot he country life, one of the first things that you will notice is the beautiful quietness the country offers. You won’t hear but the odd car passing by, or the refuse collection truck coming to wake you at 5 am either.

You won’t need to worry about noisy neighbors loudly blaring their music too loud or city traffic outside your bedroom window. The serenity of the country life is often about what can be heard in place of the city noise.

Think of the rain beating off your roof during the night, or the little birds singing early in the morning. Or imagine the cows mooing away on the green pastures. These are the priceless sounds of nature, so peaceful to the countryside.

  1. Friendly neighbors

You mightn’t know your neighbors, simply by living in the countryside. Although, country communities do tend to be closely knit. There is a sense that people are more reliant on each other more so than people of the city stock.

Part of this is because shops and amenities might be many miles away so it’s better if people help each other out where possible as the might need the favour returned someday.

You might need a carton of milk or a couple of tea bags for the night. Lending a hand will give you that good karma and builds trust among the country folk.

  1. A slower pace of life

Although it may appear at times that farmers and country folk are always working, out on the pastures, cleaning out animal sheds, or driving machinery around the place, country life is often at a slower pace than you would imagine.

But don’t get me wrong, this is by no means saying that the countryside people are lazy or do less work. It simply means that they don’t allow the fast paced, distracting life of the rat race bog them down.

So ask yourself this

Are you tired of the rat race and all of it’s materialistic trappings?

Do you want to feel part of a great community?

Do you want to enjoy life more and be at one with nature?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then a life in the countryside is for you. Make the move!

watering man

4 Great Reasons For Being A Farmer

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City versus countryside

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city slicker’s life and the constant advancements in technology and the digital world, living on a farm is a very special way to live.

You are one with nature, plants, vegetables, animals, fresh air and less distractions than the city life. Choosing the farming life is not for everybody and there are some cons but the pros far outweigh them.

So I have put together four great reason why I love being a farmer, you can read them below:

  1. There’s no commute!

You don’t have a journey to get to your work place! None. You can simply stroll out the front or indeed back door and you are in work, as simple as that!

Although the farming life is focused outdoors, some of your paperwork and management can be done from the house so you don’t actually really leave the house for some of your farm work.

This has its disadvantages. But on the contrary, you’ll never have grapple with traffic during peak times, sit in your vehicle endlessly in motorway traffic or stand, wedged onto a tube, pressing up against someone.

  1. Bartering

There is a lot more bartering and trading this and that in the farming life than in in your typical town or city. Maybe you want or have a few bales of straw and need to swap something with someone to put food on your table.

Or maybe you agree to offer your tractor or labour in exchange for that new suckler calf that your neighbor has just gotten. Daily deals are done in the farming community more than deals done on Dragons Den!

  1. A great lack of the office politics

Most of your meetings will happen at a local pub, small shop or post office. There is no time nor place for business managerial talk. Clock-in machines don’t exist in the farming life, well not really.

You are the boss and need to be disciplined with your own time, unless you work for your father or work for another farmer but you probably still have more freedom and independence.

The beauty of this is that you can take some time off whenever you need to or want to, such as for family events or to watch sporting events. Work to get the job done. Be productive and effective!

  1. There’s no dress code

One other great thing about the country farming life is the freedom to wear whatever the hell you like! No pin stripe suits or blue colour shirts. No sweaty jumpers and tight trousers.

All you have to think about is if the weather is fine then dress for it, whereas if it’s going to rain then dress for rain! Farming people don’t care if you’re wearing a Tommy Hilfiger jumper to the fields or a pair of Nike trainers.

So in a nutshell

The farming life gives you more freedom, less time wasting exercises that you would find in an office, a commonly understood method of trading things and no rustling and bustling that will stress you out on your way to work!

sufficiency economy

Self Sufficiency Test

We live in a yurt, have chickens and were homesteading but were still a far cry away from being fully self sufficient. We don’t live off grid (although solar is in our dreams),we still buy raw milk from a pastured herd share and we not only haven’t gardened yet, but we haven’t really jumped into full scale preservation methods for stockpiling, like fermenting cabbage, canning and drying.

What I’m trying to say is this homesteading thing is such a series of baby steps. Were so much farther along than we were two and half years ago, and thats something to be celebrated. Even more so since we were tested on our resourcefulness this past week by being snowbound for five days.

lemons

5 Great Uses For Lemons

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Life gives you lemons, so what can you do with them?

When life gives you lemons, you can definitely make more than just a lemonade for the children.

This wonderful fruit and its citric juices has lots of other great uses, whether it is giving your refrigerator a refreshing feel and smell or used to remove those tough coffee stains, lemons are great and below are five great uses for the:

  1. Neutralize odours

It’s nice to know that you don’t necessarily need to spray aerosols and perfumes to try to neutralize foul-smelling dog-litter box odours or in an attempt to freshen up your bathroom. Simply slice up some lemons into halves.

Place them into a dish in the room of your choice, with the cut side facing up. Then, the magic happens. Your room’s air will soon smell lemony fresh!

  1. Freshen up the Fridge

Lemons are also great for easily removing odours in your fridge. Simply dab some of the lemon’s juice onto some cotton wool or a sponge, leaving it there for several hours to do it’s work.

Obviously, do a full check of your refrigerator to find the root cause of the smell and throw out anything that may be past its use-by date or anything that looks or smells bad.

  1. Keeping your guacamole green

By sprinkling a generous amount of lemon juice from a fresh lemon over your guacamole, you will actually keep the dip green and fresh for longer.

How does this work? Well, the juice of the lemon has a complementary flavour that works well when added to guacamole(avocados). You can also use this trick by making some fruit salads well in advance of eating them.

By squeezing fresh juice onto your slices of apple for example, you will help them stay lovely and white, ready for your guests!

  1. Remove those sweat patches!

You can avoid those expensive laundry bills. Lemon juice is great for removing those sweat patch stains left underneath the arms of shirts, blouses and t-shirts.

With an equal mix of lemon juice (or indeed white vinegar) and water, simply scrubbing them will have your garments back to a stainless fresh feel in no time.

  1. Prevent rice from sticking

Believe it of not, you can prevent your rice from lumping together into a white solid, by simply adding lemon juice to the rice.

Add in a half table spoon full of lemon juice water when it boils. Then, when your rice is cooked, just let it cool off as you usually would. Finally, just fluff the rice about with a fork, ready to be served.

Some other uses for lemons

Some people throw some cut up lemons into their waste disposal just to keep it fresh and clean. Also, if you are feeling a little unwell or suffer from a bad breath, then gargling lemon juice is one way to help get rid of your cold and keep your breath smelling nice and fresh!

extract

5 Steps To Making Vanilla Extract

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Are you looking for that nice vanilla taste for your dishes?

If you want to make some vanilla extract, it’s actually quite easy. All you need are two ingredients – obviously some vanilla beans and some vodka.

Don’t be too concerned with the vodka brand or type. Nor does the actual type of vanilla bean matter much. Obviously, with the different brands and types, you will get variations in the final taste of your homemade vanilla extract.

  1. To keep it simple, for every three full vanilla beans that you use, you’ll need one full cup of vodka. However, if you wanted to add beans to a full bottle, then you can start off by pouring out about one cup or so from the vodka bottle. You’ll want it later on then so just set this aside for now.
  2. You split the vanilla beans right down the middle,scraping the beans out of the pod with a sharp knife.
  3. Add in your vanilla beans and pod to your vodka.
  4. Once you have completed this step with all of your beans, then you need to add that poured cup full of vodka in until the vodka bottle is actually full. Now, you need to shake the vodka bottle and put it into storage for two to four months.
  5. On a frequent basis, maybe every week or at least when you remember to do so, you need to give the bottle a good shake. Inspect the bottle after two months or so. At this stage, it should now have a very strong vanilla smell, be very dark in colour and have a somewhat syrupy texture. However, if it doesn’t appear to be this way, then simply put it away again for a few more weeks, continuing to check on it periodically. When you do check on it, give it a good shake.

Tip: When it is ready for adding to your cooking or baking, then you can just divide it up into little bottles or else just store it in the same bottle so you know where it is and what it is!

Extraction complete!

So now that you have made your very own vanilla extract, let’s look at some of the great uses for this tasty ingredient.

You can use vanilla extract to add richness of flavour to sweeten up dishes, whether they are sweet already or if they are savoury based dishes either. It enhances all of the flavours already there from other ingredients in the recipe.

  • You could add it into your typical cake recipe to notice a difference.
  • You could also try using it in custards, in dressings for your salads, as a marinade or add some into your sauces for dessert!

Another useful tip: Often times we find odours taking over our fridge, giving us an unpleasant waft when we open the door. Fear not! Vanilla extract is here. If you wipe down the insides of your refrigerator with some of your newly made vanilla extract, it should definitely help quench the stench!

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