In this episode, Wendi shares three foundational principles for choosing property for a homestead.

Homesteading dreams often begin with land, but many buyers focus on the house and overlook important details about zoning, soil, water, and long term sustainability.

Wendi explains how the right property can support a self reliant lifestyle while the wrong property can limit what is possible.

• Why five acres does not always mean freedom

Wendi also shares stories from her own homesteading journey and explains why she became a Realtor to help others find property that truly supports the life they want to build.

If you are dreaming about land, gardens, chickens, or a future homestead, this episode will help you think through the foundation before you buy.

Episode 111 - Building Resilient Homes for Uncertain Times

Episode 199 - How to Start Homesteading Without Land

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

🏡Real Estate: https://joyfullyprepared.com/realestate/

Canning competitions aren’t just about ribbons. They’re about courage, skill stacking, community, and stewardship.

As Chairperson of the Food Preservation Division at the Florida Strawberry Festival, Wendi shares what really happens behind the scenes — from checking processing times to guiding judges through taste evaluations.

Many new canners don’t realize food has changed over time

Modern tomatoes are often lower in acid than older varieties

USDA guidelines evolve because food and agriculture evolve

pH matters because botulism cannot grow in high acid foods

Water bath vs pressure canning isn’t optional — it’s science

Modified recipes require modified processing methods

Jars must be washed after processing and rings removed before storage

Clean, classic flavors often win over complex combinations

Incorrect processing times

Using water bath when pressure canning is required

Adding low-acid ingredients like corn or extra onions without adjusting processing

Not following jar size guidelines

Leaving rings on and failing to wash jars after sealing

Judging is social and collaborative. Judges talk, compare notes, and influence each other. Over three years, a pattern has emerged:

Simple, balanced, classic flavors tend to win.

Strawberry jam.

That doesn’t mean creative flavors are wrong. It simply means familiar flavors are easier for a group to agree on.

Entering a competition is skill stacking in action:

Learning to can

Following a tested recipe

Filling out paperwork

Showing up prepared

Receiving feedback

Even if you don’t win, you gain:

Confidence

Experience

Community connection

Improved technique

And that matters more than the ribbon.

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Why Wendi wanted the survival side of Survivor, not just gameplay

The bathroom reality: no toilet paper, “Coconut Grove,” and leaf roulette

The pre game survival briefing and what it does and does not teach you

Fire making in Fiji, and why moisture makes everything harder

Why digging a fire pit is basically impossible on volcanic rock

The rule about losing flint, and how banking embers can save you

Wildlife risks and what they warned contestants about

The surprising reason bigger fish are discouraged

What they actually ate: crabs, small fish, worms, and the hunt for fruit

Food allergies on the island and how that changes everything

The stingray moment: how it was caught, how it was killed, and how it got ruined

Bug bites, scent differences, and why some people get wrecked and others do not

Parasites, water concerns, and what contestants do after the show

The deeper lesson Liz brought home: receiving grace, not just giving it

Wendi’s closing message: skills are a bank account that never depletes

“Survivor is real baby. They do not give you toilet paper.”

“Do not boil a stingray.”

“Skills are what brings freedom.”

“You can never deplete the reservoir of skills.”

Would you go on Survivor?

Liz Wilcox

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

In This Episode:

Why Wendi is identifying as a quilter before making her first quilt

The power of practicing simple foundational skills like sewing straight seams

Raising and processing 42 meat chickens and what that teaches about confidence

How tweaking systems makes homesteading smoother over time

A Florida cold snap that damaged the food forest and what resilience looks like

Losing a rooster and making the next right decision for the homestead

Combining flocks and preparing for a new generation of laying hens

Bringing home two bottle-fed baby goats and trying a new approach

Why self-reliance is a form of self-care

How skills compound and build lasting confidence

Referenced Episodes:

Episode 203: Raising Meat Chickens

Connect with Wendi:

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

Email: [email protected]

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

• Why we decided to raise our own meat chickens instead of just buying “better” meat
• How seeing someone else do it made us realize we could try
• Whether you need land, special equipment, or a farm setup
• Meat chickens vs laying hens and which makes sense for beginners
• What “raising meat chickens well” actually means in real life
• Early mistakes we made and what we wouldn’t repeat
• Feeding chickens too much and what we learned about healthier growth
• The emotional side of raising and processing your own meat
• How our kids were involved and what they learned
• Staying calm, respectful, and grounded on processing day
• How raising our own meat changed how we cook and waste food
• Why using the whole chicken matters
• How one small food skill can shift your confidence and mindset

If you’d like a more in-depth, step-by-step series on raising and processing meat chickens, let me know. I’m happy to go deeper if that would be helpful.

You can reach me through my website or by email.
 

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

When Wendi moved her family to Florida, she left behind something she now deeply misses.
Not furniture.
Farm tools.

That realization became the heart of this episode.

Why homesteading value lives in skills, not stuff

How to homestead on a budget without waiting for “someday”

Learning to see abundance in your home, yard, and even clutter

Why buckets, tools, pallets, and scraps matter more than aesthetics

The power of foraging and learning what already grows around you

How weeds like dandelions are only weeds until you know their purpose

Building functional chicken coops and pens without expensive materials

Growing food from seeds and turning small starts into food or income

Using grocery scraps like tomatoes, onions, and radishes to grow more food

Why mistakes are part of building self-reliant confidence

How resilience is formed through learning, trying, and adjusting

A gentle invitation to learn skills inside the Joyfully Prepared Library: www.joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

This episode is for anyone who feels drawn to homesteading but worries they cannot afford it.
It is a reminder that confidence comes from learning, not buying.

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Why Container Gardening Works Almost Anywhere
You do not need land. Or a perfect setup. Just a place to start.

Choosing Containers Without Buying Anything New
Buckets, bags, bowls, and things you already own can work just fine.

Soil Basics Without the Overwhelm
What matters. What doesn’t. And what to skip entirely.

Beginner Plants That Are Hard to Kill
Easy wins that build confidence fast.

Why Mulch Makes Container Gardening Easier
A simple layer that saves water and prevents problems.

Where to Find Good Seeds
Including favorites like 

• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Strictly Medicinal Seeds

** Joyfully Prepared Container Gardening  Workbook **

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Celebrating episode 200 and four years of podcasting

Why Wendi started the podcast and what Joyfully Prepared is really about

Milling grain and baking whole wheat bread as a lesson in learning through failure

A simple, everyday definition of anti-fragility

How homesteading naturally builds anti-fragile skills

Skill stacking and why learning one skill makes the next easier

Building a fence solo and choosing hard things on purpose

Recognizing and shifting out of victim thinking

Asking the question that changes everything: “What can I do with what I have right now?”

Creating anti-fragile moments intentionally in low-stakes spaces

Applying anti-fragility to quilting, real estate, and everyday life

Why preparedness creates calm and reduces panic

Using a transformation journal to document growth and progress

A gentle reminder that being clumsy and unfinished is part of becoming capable

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Container Gardening Course - https://joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/containergardeningcourse

Podcast Episode: Mastering the Art of Skill Stacking for Ultimate Preparedness
 

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Why homesteading is about skills, not land

How homesteading looked before it had a trendy name

Growing up with a garden, jars on the shelf, and clothes on the line

Why homesteading skills are an investment and a form of self-care

Setting a boundary around learning and practicing skills

Why food is foundational to confidence and self-reliance

Starting with one meal, one recipe, or one jar

The blackberry jam story and learning by doing

Why confidence comes from proximity, not over-researching

Letting systems reveal themselves through repetition

Finding mentors and learning in community

How homesteading skills transfer to apartments, RVs, and everywhere else

Why skills can never be taken away from you

Relearning skills and getting back into rhythm

Homesteading as an adventure and a lifelong practice

A warm welcome into the homesteader identity

Mentioned Resource:
🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Welcome to the last episode of 2025. Instead of forcing goals or rushing a fresh start, we do something softer and more realistic: a homestead reset. We walk through three simple categories — keep, release, pause — to clear space in your mind, your home, and your heart before the new year begins.

In this episode:
• why resets feel better than resolutions
• how tiny habits and “showing up” actually built your year
• what worked for you in 2025 (hint: more than you think)
• how releasing expectations makes room to breathe
• pausing without quitting
• why January is a recovery month for moms
• how journaling keeps you honest about your growth

Simple reflection invitation:
Write down 3 things you’ll keep, 3 you’ll release, and 3 you’ll pause as you move into 2026.
That tiny list is a reset. It’s space. It’s permission.

Reminder:
The Joyfully Prepared New Year begins February 1st.
January is for recovery, naps, leftovers, and slower days.

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com