Union Homestead

04/08/2024

Looking for that personal touch wedding gift for '24 autumn wedding friends? Look no further! I can customize a marriage est. sign to meet your needs to fit the couple's style and personality. 9 inch rounds starting at $35 plus shipping.

03/08/2024

We're here at the Brave Summer Artisan Market 2024! Very affordable prices and so many customizable items! We're here from 12-5 at River Park in Plymouth, IN!

30/07/2024

If you ever wonder why an artist prices their things high, it's because we sit for hours creating, hoping someone values the artist and the work.
However, this week's Brave Summer Artisan Market on the 3rd in Plymouth, IN, I do intend to make my art as affordable as I can comfortably make it. I'd love to share my art with others and would love to continue going to markets like this again! This is a peek at a new tea tray that would only be priced for $100. Which sounds like a lot but other than 1 other thing, $100 is the highest amount you may spend at my tent on Saturday! Everything else it quite low in price vs. quality!

26/07/2024

Join us at the Brave Summer Artisan Market for a day full of creativity and fun! Besides shopping and delicious food trucks, you can also check out these four activities during the market:

🎨 Keep the kiddos entertained with colorful and imaginative face painting by the lovely Pamela Dickson with Possum Ranch Face Painting.

✨ Experience intricate designs come to life as Union Homestead does live wood burning.

🧢 Express your unique style at the Trucker Hat Bar, where you can design and personalize your own hat with Be Rad Trucker Hats.

💍 Add a touch of elegance to your look with custom permanent jewelry crafted on-site by Love Links by Rae.

Bring your friends and family for a day of unforgettable experiences and shopping with our talented vendors! See you there!

🗓️August 3, 2024 | 12 PM - 5 PM EST
📍River Park Square | Plymouth, IN

26/07/2024

Featured in the booth with me at the Brave Summer Artisan Market will be Made by Macy We'll be there with hand crafted, wood burned items and live wood burning as well! We hope to see you August 3rd in Plymouth, IN!

19/07/2024

Here are some new pieces that will be available in person August 3rd at Raising Brave Boutique 's Brave Summer Artisan Market in Plymouth, IN from 12-5 pm. There is so much more to come so stayed tuned! All items left over will be available to purchase online after August 3rd!

09/06/2024

It's a blessing a curse to have knowledge in foraging and wild plants.
My husband picked these for me, then gave them to my toddler, who gave them to me.
What you may see on the surface, pretty white flowers.
What I see is pretty white flowers but also it's fleabane which can treat hepatitis, be used as a diuretic, for lady troubles, etc.
So I see pretty flowers, but what I really see is diarrhea flowers🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just say thank you and put them in a vase🤣🤣🤣

09/06/2024

If you're new to the chicken game and wondering how to s*x chicks, there are a few indicators like colors between male and females of the same breed, and checking feather size!

🐔Females have wing tips like fingers, and they stager in size.
🐓Males have shorter wing tips that normally stay the same length.

This isn't a fail-proof indicator, but it does yield a very high success rate while checking genders.

⚠️There is another way to check gender and that is through a process called, 'venting'. However, only trained professionals should vent chickens as improper technique can cause disimbowelment.
✔️ Checking wings and colors are the safest ways to check s*x!

08/06/2024

Crazy morning running around the house trying to make sure the late arrival of our Red Cochins went smoothly. Sadly getting chicks shipped has its risks and because they were late the chicks went longer without proper heat. 2 passed from hypothermia and the others are fine.
But we did take our one broody hen who was sharing custody with the other 3 chicks we rehabbed last week, and gave her these chicks. She accepted them immediately and she'll be back in genpop with everyone else soon! Thanks Pashea-Pepper Farm for picking them up with your chicks this morning!

02/06/2024

This morning my husband was an eye-witness to a another hen stepping on this chick still in its egg. This one was pretty ready to come out but definitely had anther day or two in the egg. You can see how it's still laying like it should be in its egg. Little peep was rescued by my husband and he came inside with it to clean it up and put it in the incubator. The plan will be to see how this ones doing in the next 12-24 hours. If it seems ready to look for mommy we will put it back under momma at night. We'll keep you updated on peeper!

31/05/2024

If you have some herbs you want to dry but don't know where to start, try the hanging bag method! Take your cuttings and wash and dry them thoroughly. If not dried before tying it may cause mold.
Bind the ends with string or rubber bands.
Poke 2 holes in a paper bag with your fingers or neatly with scissors on each side (I just used my fingers.)
Add the tied bundles into the bag with the tied end with stems poking out and tie again with longer string.
Tie the bags up anywhere convenient but you want them in a dry and somewhat warm place for at least 1 week. I put mine on the kitchen chandelier. As we don't typically turn the lights on for long periods of time and it's a well ventilated space.

If mold happens don't give up, discard and try a lighter bundle and ensure your herbs are not still damp before tying.

Rosemary, sage, thyme, summer savory and parsley are particularly well-suited to air-drying. Basil, lemon balm, mint, oregano and tarragon have a high moisture content and are likely to mold if not dried quickly, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. These high-moisture herbs can also be air-dried if packaged in small bundles, but they’re good candidates for drying in a dehydrator.

If your herbs are not dry, nor have they molded in 1 week, just keep them there for a few more days and check again.

I'll keep you updated on my bags and if it was a success or not for me. I'm not a pro but striving everyday to be proficient in my homesteading lifestyle!

24/05/2024

All these eggs and more can be found at Brickhouse Farms in Bluffton, Indiana from yours truly! $4/Doz.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kq1MJLkK8M6ZRh4Y7

This self-serve farm store has the freshest and local packaged meats and eggs for your convenience!

22/05/2024

Transform your perspective on time and focus on the journey, not the destination. By embracing the present and appreciating the little things, like a tree's steady growth, you'll find peace and contentment in the fleeting moments of life.

17/05/2024

I loved spending over 40 hours working on these items! If you haven't seen my reel go take a look!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/N9Kk8B3zH6R74Y7R/?mibextid=D5vuiz

13/05/2024

Home education is slowly but surely ramping up to everyday lessons now with our child. Today we versed ourselves with the abc's, matching fruit, and matching body parts, weather, and the longer lesson of citizen science of bird watching with his new binoculars he so badly wanted the other day.

Bird watching helps develop compassion and empathy, relieves stress and builds emotional resilience, and teaches tiny and big humans to be responsible stewards of the natural world around us. Learning different breeds and lifestyles of birds can help us learn more about what and why God has created so many great things and beings for us to appreciate.

If you're like me, someone who is starting out with home education with a toddler, it's easy to be overwhelmed. I'm always asking for advise and researching techniques. But I have learned over the last few years is that education is not about being like a school, it's not about deadlines and milestone requirements. It's purely about making sure you are teaching your child the important things a person should know and making sure they love learning! A toddler only needs a short amount of time for daily learning and a larger amount of time to learn by themselves by playing and exploring.

Today's bird watching has just been grackles but I only had peanuts to feed today, which is a grackle favorite. Bird feeding can be expensive but know you do not need to spend a ton of money on bird seed if you don't want to, wild birds love peanuts, corn, fruit, jelly, peanut butter, suet, raisens, cheddar cheese, (yes cheddar!)
If you haven't added bird watching to your child's education, you're in luck you can start today!

If you want a resource, this one is great for beginner bird watchers! https://amzn.to/44EeHig
Union Homestead receives a small revenue from links like these.

05/05/2024

https://amzn.to/3WtdmZv
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: the only dewormer I use for our chickens comes from The Real Poultry Store!
🐔 It's great to add to the ladies' food to naturally deworm them, add vitamins and minerals, enhance egg production and size, and even enhance egg yolk color!🥚 You can use it everywhere in the coop too! Add to food and even add to the ground to keep pests away.

02/05/2024

Just a beautiful morning on the homestead!

30/04/2024

22/04/2024

Me every 4 hours after planting some starters to see if they grew yet😂

15/04/2024

Planting this evening. I love teaching our son to plant.. Though I dont think these onions will take very well😂

13/04/2024

It was such a fun morning of us all putting on our muck boots to see cows and going to deliver eggs to Brickhouse Farms in Bluffton, IN where you can find extremely fresh, farm raised meats and eggs for affordable prices!

13/04/2024

This was such a fun little box to make for Cydney! Her friends are pretty great to get her such a personal gift!

11/04/2024

I love dandelions and do not mind them in the yard at all! I eat some at least once a year if not more. Yesterday I picked a good amount for frying in some butter and squashing and salting like you would plantains. Today I dried the rest to put in a salve later.

Dandelion salve is great for antioxidants, skin cell production, evening skin tone, stimulating circulation and more!
This year I hope I get enough gumption to make some dandelion root coffee. But id love to tackle dandelion jam soon!

11/04/2024

😱Someone must have been screaming with this one! The olive one is a large egg already....👀

10/04/2024

Good evening sleepless newsfeed scrollers, Union Homestead is here too!
In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed with tasks. We juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, and sometimes, it feels like there’s just not enough time in the day. It’s okay to feel this way, to feel overwhelmed and to not have everything under control all the time.

When it comes to homesteading, remember that it’s a journey, not a destination. It’s okay if your homestead isn’t your top priority at times if it’s not where you want it to be. Homesteading is about growth and learning, and sometimes, that means accepting that things won’t always go as planned. This also goes for home education too!

Remember, it’s not about perfection but progress. Each day is a new opportunity to learn and grow. So, give yourself grace if your garden isn’t blooming as you’d hoped or if your DIY projects are taking longer than expected. You’re doing the best you can, and that’s what truly matters.

So, ‘What’s the point?’ The point is to embrace the journey, with all its ups and downs. The point is to learn, grow, and find joy in the process. Most importantly, the point is to be kind to ourselves because we’re all doing the best we can. 💪🌱👩‍👧‍👦

26/03/2024

Need something special for an Easter gift still? Try these handmade wooden "Rolling Stones" scenes at Painted Tree Boutiques - Fort Wayne, IN at Jefferson Pointe! Great for all year-round decor for the home, not just Easter!
💲 $55.00
📬 Also available for shipping!

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25/03/2024

Please do not do this. If you're new to canning understand that this does nothing. You sterilize a jar and the lids before canning; the jars are additionally sterilized on the outside while canning.
Maneuvering jars like this under water can actually break a seal. Thats why it's common practice to run a lid under hot water for a few seconds to open them.
There is no reason to wash your canned goods before storing them. You can however, wash them right before you're about to open them if you choose to.

I am not the end-all-be-all for canning knowledge or homesteading knowledge... At all! But please keep in mind that not every page dedicated to homesteading is accurate and you need to do your own research and study before you do something as important as propper food preservation for your family.

And if you ever have doubts just think back "if grandma didn't do it/did it this way and we're all alive, there's no reason to reinvent the wheel with extra steps."

24/02/2024

This is "For Peter" a large wood burning of a beloved pup for a grieving family to think of him when they see it. I've been told the receiver was emotionally overwhelmed by this when she opened it. I just hope I did him justice in not exactly trying to replicate the photo but trying to convey kind eyes and the warmth of his presence he brought to his family.