happenings after a long break

it is so wonderful to be back in this space after a bit of a break. with a handful of boxes unpacked & our kitchen in functioning order, i feel recharged & simply normal. life can feel a bit heavy, overwhelming & chaotic when moving, but we are continually reminding ourselves of the true blessings of living in a safe, comfortable home. 

we finished several projects during our break, including painted sub flooring & a salvaged wood wall, that i cannot wait to share with you. you can find sneak peeks of our projects below & on instagram via #freckledhenfarmhouse. this space is beginning to feel like ‘home.’ you’ll just have to excuse the piles of boxes still left & the overwhelming amount of weeds in the garden… one step at a time.

i even carved out a few hours to can some garlic basil tomatoes & freeze several jars of pesto this weekend. i will share my recipe soon!

wishing you all a wonderful start to your week!
love,
natalie

the beginning of freckled hen farm!

one week ago today we bought our first home & hobby farm, proudly named freckled hen farm. 
i cannot describe the feelings we felt when this beautiful place finally became ours. signing all of the paperwork was honestly terrifying. this place won’t be paid in full until we are 54 years old. we were a bit worried if we were making the right decision to own a home in luke’s hometown at such a young age – are we settling for less? do we really love arkansas enough to stay? is living down the street from luke’s family a smart decision? i truly believe everyone asks those really hard life questions right before making such a big decision. when my parents were saying their goodbyes as they dropped me off at college for the very first time, i remember wanting to jump in the car & go straight home with them even though i was confident i was in the right place making the best decision i could.
going to college out-of-state & spreading my wings as an independent was the best decision i could have made. owning our own home & sharing in this home ownership adventure together feels similarly. it comes with some of the hard stuff, but ultimately it is worth it & it feels so good.
getting that first layer of paint on our walls instantly calmed my anxious spirits & allowed me to take a few steps back & really soak it all in. this is ours. we are home.

 

 we have so many projects to finish before the week is up & we officially move in. we have had so many friends out to our new place bringing us food, cheering us on & helping us with remodeling projects. we have spent many sleepless nights painting cabinets, pulling up carpet & scraping popcorn ceilings. every finished project is so satisfying & brings us one step closer to living on our little hobby farm full-time.

thank you for all of the love & encouragement you have shown us throughout this project. it feels wonderful & we are so excited to see what is written in this new chapter.
for now, i am taking a little vacation from my blog. i will pick back up in this space on monday, august 5th. for now, you can follow along for quick snippets at IG. my name is @nataliecreates & our hashtag is #freckledhenfarmhouse
love,
natalie

camping & floating trip food ideas

i am wrapping up this week’s camping trip tips with some food ideas. like i mentioned on wednesday’s post, we made all of our food from one cast iron pan & large, sturdy cooking pot. during lunch time when we were still in mid-route on the water, i pre-made meals at home so clean up was very easy. 
we consider our camping & floating trips as vacation trips so we like to eat well. every morning & night we cooked on a small pop-up burner rented from the university recreational department or an open fire. these meal ingredients are suited for carrying in a medium-size cooler with ice & preparing in somewhat primitive conditions. here are some ideas for your next camping or floating trip:
1. most everyone enjoys a good hot dog while camping. we prefer to purchase all-natural, organic hot dogs for various reasons, & hot dogs are an excellent choice of protein when hiking or paddling. adults & kiddos alike love placing their hot dog on a stick above an open fire for cooking. this allows the whole family to get involved in the preparation of the evening’s meal! paired with a couple of healthy sides & you have a delicious meal.
2. i found this idea on pinterest & it was a huge success. i chose to make a vegan pancake mix (replacing soy milk with almond & oil with applesauce) because we were eating the pancakes on the last day & i was worried that our ice would be melted at that point. i put the mix in an old ketchup bottle. it was so easy to squeeze out the pancakes that morning & add bananas. we ate our delicious, warm pancakes with a spoonful of peanut butter & a bit of maple syrup.
3. cheesy potatoes are a must on our outdoor trips. i always slice our potatoes in the food processor at home to avoid using a cutting board & knife on our trips. it makes for a lighter load. i simply place all of my potatoes in a ziplock bag & they are ready to go for that evening’s meal.  

4. bacon & eggs are a must for breakfast while camping. we cooked the bacon in a cast iron skillet on our pop up burner & allowed to cool while we were scrambling the eggs. you can use a tortilla to make a wrap for a great on-the-go breakfast meal.

5. we love fresh vegetables for daily meals so why not bring them camping? we sliced up several summer squashes ahead of time at home & placed them in a ziplock bag. we cooked them with a bit of olive oil in our pot on the campfire griddle. it was delicious paired with the hot dogs.
6. we love making simple syrups at home & storing them in the fridge for whenever the desire to enjoy a light & refreshing drink may hit. a great alternative to water or coffee while camping is a bit of club soda & mint syrup (bonus- mint is growing in abundance right now!) you can find my recipe at helloluvvy, a wonderful new e-magazine that i just love & where i will be sharing a bit of my foodie passion. pack up your simple syrup in a mason jar & off you go on your camping adventures!
i would love to hear some of your favorite camping recipes so please share by commenting below!

i hope you enjoyed this week of camping tidbits! 

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thank you to all of you who shared your favorite camping tips with us! i loved reading each one & made a little list for things we should bring on our next trip! the winner of wednesday’s deodorant cream from happy homestead botanicals is megan rowell! i will email you soon!
love,
natalie