Hello Friend!

If you are like me and never really wanted to homeschool, but knew it was the best for your kids, you are going to want to listen to this episode!  We have only been homeschooling for 2 years and we started when our kids were 10 and 12 and even though it would be much easier to send them to public school, it has been so fun watching them blossom!

It has not been an easy journey, but when we realized how much better it was for them, we made sacrifices and have learned all we can.  It doesn't have to be perfect!  Learn from the people around you and surround your family with like minded friends! 

Enjoy this episode!

Monica

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Hello!

I am so excited this time of the year.  Harvesting so many different things from out garden and preserving as much as I can!  Even with so much to do, it never seems like work!

In this episode, I will teach you a very simple way to make your own pickles without a pressure cooker or a water bath canner.  It is so simple that you probably won't ever buy pickles from the store again!  The flavor is amazing!  If you don't grow your own cucumbers, go to a local farmers market and try to purchase some.  You won't be disappointed!

I will also give you some other ideas to use your cucumbers up!

If you would like a free video with step by step directions, just email me!

Email -> [email protected]

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Happy Pickling!!!

Monica

Hey Friend!

I thought you might enjoy this quick episode because I just found some mums recently that have been chewed on and I realized I need to do this again!  

I do have a fenced in vegetable garden, but I have several other areas on our property that have flower beds, pots, and the riverbank that has alot of flowers and this works wonders to keep the rabbits, deer and most animals away from.  I learned this tip from a neighbor who I thought was a gardening goddess.  She has gardened for many many years and had alot of great tips!

In the Spring when my plants just pop through the ground, I will sprinkle a very small amount of blood meal on them-like a tablespoon or so on each plant  and it keeps anything that likes to chew on my plants away.  I like to do this mid summer too just in case the rain washes it all away which must be what happened to the few flowers that got munched on this week most likely by the deer. So glad it was only a few because I love those purple colors in the Fall.  The best part about this is that it is a natural fertilizer as well and good for your plants, so I would encourage you to try this if you are having problems with rabbits and deer nibbling at your plants or flowers and do it right away in the spring!

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Enjoy your week!

Monica

Welcome back to another week of Claiming Simplicity!

One of my adult daughters reminded me recently that I don’t have to work as a nurse.  She is totally correct because I was able build my businesses while I worked and we eliminated our debt.  I now CHOOSE to work as a nurse on occasion because I love it and I don’t feel the pressure that I have to.  I have the choice to work where I want and what I want to be doing. At some point when my businesses get too big to run in a short amount of time, I will either have to hire employees  or quit my nursing job, but for now-it is working well to do both and I don’t feel overwhelmed at all in our home, online businesses or working as a nurse!  I thank God every day for this life and I can’t even imagine it being any better.  

Be content in the present and the payoff will be daily.  Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate your life. Grab a pen and paper and write these questions down.

1. Are you living with intentional abundance? Are you living a life with a fullness of joy and strength for your spirit, soul and body?  If not, what changes can you make?

1. Do you live your life deliberately or are you just getting by and not enjoying it?  What kind of work ethic do you have?

    3.Do you take charge of your life and make the most of every day?  

Ask yourself each day-what is it God wants for you and who can I bless. Through Christ you can do all things……..you may be surprised how God will use you when you ask Him every day

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Blessings!

Monica

Hi

Today I want to let you know how we harvest our worm castings, but

First you will want to feed your worms in 1 corner a few weeks prior to harvesting so the worms go to 1 side.  If some worms do get through, it is not a big deal.  Having worms in your garden is great too!  

After all the worms are to one side, you can scoop out the worm castings from the other side.  If you want to scoop them and put them into a pail and don’t have a screen, you can just remove any lumps or chunks you may have and put back into the  bin, but if you have some sort of large screen, you can also sift the castings through to get the chunks out.  Any material that hasn’t been broken down can go back into the bin for the worms to break down as well.

I like to sprinkle this around my fruit trees and plants, but you don’t need too much.  Remember, this is organic and it is completely safe, but you also don’t need much!  Using the worm compost just assures you that you are not getting the chemicals in the food you are eating, so this is the most important reason for you to use worm castings as well!

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Talk soon!

Monica

Hello Friend!

I think it is more important than ever to try to fight inflation wherever we can with the quickly rising prices.  I will give you three steps to make a difference in preparing for and helping your family with the inflation rates.

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

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Enjoy your week!

Monica

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!

In this podcast, you will learn the 3 reasons you should be growing your own garden even as a busy mom!  Our garden is beginning to produce strawberries so far as we got a late start because of the weather here, but as I was thinking about how delicious fresh food from the garden is, I wanted to give you 3 benefit of it!

Visit our Facebook group and get a garden tour when I get back from vacation!!!  I would love to meet you!  Nothing better than connecting with like minded friends

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

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Have a great week!

Monica

Hello Friend!

Sometimes we can easily get wrapped up into ourselves and some people even see being “busy” as luxurious even though they hurt others in the process.  You may not even realize how much your actions affect others just because you are so self focused.  

I just want you to become aware of this so that you can live your best life because this life isn’t just about you.  It can be hard to even notice because your  life motto is  "Me" is more.  I have heard it called MEism and it is easy to see once you are aware of it!

3 steps to determine what your values are!

Love ya!

Monic

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> [email protected]

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Hello Friend

Are you ready to make some black gold?  Today, I will tell you how to start your own worm bin at home and how and what to feed the worms so you can make your own organic fertilizer for your garden!

Let me know if you start your own bin!

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> [email protected]

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Blessings!

Monica

Hey Friend

Have you ever heard of vermicomposting? It is an amazing way to repurpose waste and turn trash into nutrient-dense soil. In this episode, we will talk about what vermicomposting is, 3 benefits of it, and what kind of worms you will need.

So you are wondering what vermicomposting is? 

Vermicomposting, is also known as worm composting, is the process of having worms eat natural material, such as vegetable and fruit peels, and then break it down through digestion.

Once the scraps pass through their system, they excrete it in what's known as worm castings. Before you get grossed out, know that those castings are a rich, nutrient-dense material that can turn soil into a paradise for plants. (It's often referred to as black gold!)

Vermicomposting and composting are similar in the sense that their goal is to break down organic matter into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that you can add to your garden.

The differences lie in the amount of time the two processes take, how and where they're done, and what their end results are.

Enjoy the episode!

Monica

Join our Facebook Group -> Simple Gardening, Homesteading & Holistic Home for Beginners

Email -> [email protected]

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/