Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Homesteading Vision for this Homemaker ~ Dream with Me


Now on our third year of homesteading, we have gotten a taste of the weather, the seasons, the land, produce and animals. It is the time for detailed goals and purposes. I wanted to share our dream vision with you... Perhaps yours is similar?

I would love to prepare our pantry solely from our harvested goods, to create our own apothecary featuring natural remedies from nature's bounty and use only the household products formulated with simple and safe ingredients. Like many of you, we desire less reliance on the stores and more on the land. Picture with me, if you will...

"PB Found Pharmacy Bottles" from Pottery Barn

Jars and containers filled with concoctions, procured from the earth, labeled and beautiful like the apothecary shops of old. To see them all lined up and ready for action...

{To learn how to make your own apothecary jars, visit here.}

Glass Bird Canisters from Pottery Barn

To display handmade soaps, bundled with twine in an attractive jar. Bath salts poured and measured with your own hands (sprinkled with scented flowers such as rose petals, perhaps?)...

"PB Glass Apothecary Jar" from Pottery Barn

Lavender and other fragrant herbs which you have dried, ready to use as a potpourri, relaxing tea or bath time soaks…


Homemade tonics and tinctures… Blends of sweet and savory spices collected from our kitchen gardens...

"PB Classic Glass Canister" from Pottery Barn

We can make self reliance into a sweet haven in our home! At the end of a hard working day, there will be rest for our weary bodies...

Tucker Wall Unit from Pottery Barn

And finally, a nice apothecary cabinet to store all our homemade treasures. Nothing too fancy, just something *simple* (wink)… I hope to share some of our creations with you this upcoming year as we attempt to utilize what we have from the land. We could all dream, can't we?

"Where there is no vision, the people perish…"
~ Proverbs 29:18a

35 comments:

  1. Ten years ago, I used to run to the stores and buy, buy and buy. But lately, I want my house to be filled with homemade foods, crafts and even I am back n knitting and crocheting. I guess it is a process of getting older. Thank you for sharing this amazing pictures. I love the bird canisters and jars.

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    1. The bird canisters are my favorite too! Yes, I used to have to go to the store daily to make my meals and that got old! I love having a surplus here and knowing what is put inside everything is the bonus!

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  2. Can I just say "ditto"!!

    We do make our own tinctures and collect herbs, dry them and use them for teas in the winter (yum!) We have a natural antibiotic that keeps us from having to visit the Dr. unnecessarily. Natural cleaners are something we dabble with from time to time.

    I agree, I like that "simple" hutch in which to store it all - haha!

    What a beautiful vision. My desire is to keep learning right where I am and with what is around me. We have wild Red Clover growing like crazy in our town. What an abundance of goodies right at our fingertips :-)

    Wood stoves and large stacks of firewood dance through my head every so often but for now I'm thankful for all I have.

    ~Cinnamon

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    1. Yay! A kindred spirit :) Yes, I like what you said… "learning right where I am and with what is around me"… We have stinging nettles galore and I need to start embracing them for their wonderful medicinal qualities, along with wild chamomile and a eucalyptus tree. That is a lot of useful goodies right in my back yard! And a wood cooking stove… I am waiting to nab one at an auction but in the meantime, like you said… "I'm thankful for all I have." Thanks for sharing Cinnamon!

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    2. I love finding a "kindred spirit" - always more fun that way :-)

      Enjoying my visits here~

      ~Cinnamon

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  3. Love this! My soul longs for the country. And the cabinet is..... just right ;-). Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Oh, thanks for the cabinet confirmation… I thought so ;)

      P.S. There are so many ways to be a country girl in the city, I hope you can find contentment in your little nest by bringing some country ways with you :)

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    2. Oh yes, I did your pumpkin seeds before Thanksgiving (found a farm on edge of town, they were on sale, yippee) The little things. Look forward to your posts in my email. Keep it up!

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    3. Oh, thank you for sharing that! I agree with you, it is the appreciation (and utilization) of the "little things" that make a country life… wherever you live!

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  4. Beautiful and inspiring. I'm dreaming with you.

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  5. It's just lovely!~ As a glass jar collector, I cannot help but pine away for those beautiful things. It is fun to dream!

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    1. Oohhh LOVE glass jars too! Thanks for sharing here :)

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  6. Oh, those jars! It sounds very doable! Best wishes in meeting your goals.

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  7. Lovely... as always! You bring vision to others :-) I'm praying for you, dear friend. <3

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  8. Your vision is so similar to my own. :) Thank you for sharing your sweet vision! :)

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  9. I LOVE this!!!! Mine are not quite as visually attractive and photo worthy, but I have many herbs, salves,tinctures and more....and we use them very often. I was really pleased to find a glass front cabinet to store the essential oil and tinctures (I will be putting fabric behind the glass for privacy from visitors who wonder WHAT we are doing.... and for protection from the light)... and a wood cabinet for herbs... I keep needing BIGGER cabinets though. Such a wonderful vision... and so do-able. :)

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    1. Thanks for "seeing" my vision too Joy! The fabric is a good idea to protect the shelf life of your goodies... and I know what you mean about visitors looking in on your kitchen laboratory :) With Goodwill, that bigger cabinet is doable (just paint to match)...

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    2. You're right.... I keep looking at garage sales and on Craigslist..... just today, we have been "shopping" here in the house for a base for one cabinet... would rather have a bookcase base instead of the desk base we now have.... Sadly, we found nothing here in the house to use.... so the hunt continues. :) By the way, shallow cabinets (like 6"--8"deep), which are perfect for essential oils and tinctures... seem to be rather rare in my area.... so I am realizing what a treasure they are IF I can find them. :)

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    3. How funny that you should mention "shallow cabinets"... The pantry I mentioned that we were re-doing, I kept on emphasizing shallow shelves for such things and hubby thought it weird to not want deeper. I told him my medicine stuff would get lost back there... Well about your continual search, that is half of the fun!

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    4. Deep cabinets are good for some things, but oh, how nice those shallow cabinets are for organizing things.... Our pantry used to have deep shelves and was narrow - I was constantly removing something to get something else. We remodeled it and made it twice as wide and half as deep.... much better. Of course, we also added storage all over the inside of the doors... and I love it. I guess maybe that would be good to show people in a post. Hmmm. :)

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    5. Oh yes! Pantry posts are my favorite. I hope to share ours one day :)

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  10. This is my dream too - "Homemade tonics and tinctures… Blends of sweet and savory spices collected from our kitchen gardens." I am just now starting to learn about herbs and how to use them for my family and in my home. One day I hope my knowledge will really help my family stay healthy. Thanks for sharing your vision and mine is so much like yours!

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    1. Oh thank you for sharing! And here I thought I was the only "weird one"!!! :)

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  11. Love this !! I share your dream and have been working towards making it happen for years. I recently closed a store that I had for 9 years where I sold soaps, creams, bath products, etc. that I made by hand with only organic, natural ingredients. It is exciting to see others that are trying to live this way! I love your blog. Thank you for sharing

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    1. Thank you for sharing Cynthia! Slowly but surely we are getting there!.. one day at a time :) Your store sounded wonderful and now you have the experience for your own home and loved ones which is wonderful!

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  12. Beautiful! Especially the glass containers which make me weak in the knee! Our dreams are similar. We just started much later in life.

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    1. Aren't the containers beautiful! :)

      Thanks for sharing your dreams with us! As they say, better late than never...

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  13. Hi Jess,
    The last photo didn't show up on my computer. You might check on it.
    My dreams are a bit up in the air. My kids are nearly grown; it looks like we may be moving in the next year; I'm just not sure what I'll be doing after I homeschool. I need to pray for the Lord's direction.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know Laura! Also, moving can always bring new opportunities and new blessings... May both be in your near future! :)

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  14. I just found your blog!!! I'm so excited! Thank you for taking the time to share all your knowledge and inspiration. God bless you!

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    1. I am so glad you found us! It is so much fun to gather together with like minded women! Have a lovely week and happy homemaking ♥️

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