Living a Creative Life with Hannah Deurloo, Author
This is an adapted recipe from Michigan, a state where venison is greatly admired and the locally grown Asparagus is crisp and fresh. I grew up in Oceana County Michigan where spring time is all about Asparagus and Autumn about hunting for White Tail Deer. Learning to cook from locally raised crops and wild game… Continue reading Venison Stir-fry with snow peas and Asparagus
A call came in one June day. Honey bees had swarmed and landed on the eaves of an old farm house. They were working their way behind a boarded up window. "Please can you come quick, otherwise I'm gonna kill them with poison, there are thousands and they are just hanging in big clumps." It's… Continue reading Saving the Honey Bees-one swarm at a time
Here is a great idea to celebrate a special friendship in your life. Find a pair of worn out boots and fill with your favorite flowers. One of the boots is for your friend while the other is for you. Friends are the flowers in the garden of life. Beginning with a seed of trust, nurtured… Continue reading Friendship Boot Planter DIY
Sometimes blessings come in unexpected places. This is what happened to me this Spring. Mother’s Day brought my adult children home to visit and I was presented with a beautiful flowering basket. After that day passed I began the nurturing process to ensure the beauty of the flowers didn’t languish. Doting over the flowers as if they were my own children and fretful that they might die from lack of water or love. One morning I awoke to inspect the flowers to find a Robin sitting in the basket. She had begun building a nest in the midst of it. An inner struggle began in me as I watched her build that nest. Surely the Robins would ruin the basket. Questions about how would I water it and would the parents allow me access to my own house, how messy would this be? When I returned that night, to my surprise the nest was complete. Built…
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I needed a way to carry my water bottle when out in field or forest. I came up with this inexpensive easy DIY natural jute sling holder that took less than a hour to make. I already had knowledge of basic macrame knots, if you do not know these it will take a while longer.… Continue reading DIY Macrame bottle Sling
Our backyards can be home to many types of birds and this year I am installing eastern bluebird nesting boxes along a trail on our property which has a lot of habitat that they love. This spring I observed several males munching on Michigan holly berries while on a walk. This prompted me to start looking into… Continue reading Back Yard Bird Watcher-Install a blue bird Trail
It's early April here in Michigan and I wanted to give an update on the no-till kitchen garden that I started three years ago. "I couldn't be happier with the results!" The photos below show how the garden looks today. I have not done anything to this space since I added additional layers of leaves… Continue reading No-Till Kitchen Garden-Season 3 Update
I must admit that I feel a little scared with the prospect of designing the permaculture of my little world. Begin by getting an arial view map of your property. I purchased a 2'x3' arial view from our county equalization department for $15. You could also use google earth and print one off yourself. This is a… Continue reading Small Lot Conservation
The switch to natural living has been slowly progressing in my life. It is a lifestyle change that has been growing in me for years. That is why I am celebrating today. I did it! I stopped buying plastic wrap, a product I have used all my life-A product that turns out to be very toxic.… Continue reading DIY Beeswax Cling Wrap
In the quest to simplify my life I opened the cabinet under my kitchen sink. I was greeted with a host of chemicals each declaring their own special use. This toxic station was screaming for simplification. Four reasons I decided to stop buying chemical cleaners: Simplification: Life is easier with less stuff. The companies and their… Continue reading Simplifying life with Natural Cleaners
When I was a child, I loved playing outside with my brother in the dirt. We would spend hours creating whole cityscapes with the help of our Tonka trucks. Each would have multiple jobs to do. One of us was a landscaper, a police officer, a heavy equipment operator or the baker. It was great fun.… Continue reading Creating inside fun with Sand Play Dough
Dry furnace heat makes my skin dry and cracked during the cold winter months. To combat this I make an organic healing lotion that can be used for body and face. This recipe is a two step process and also requires a source for fresh or dried calendula flowers, you can find a source by searching online. The… Continue reading Calendula Dry Skin Cream
For a while now, I have been fighting the war against plastics. A war that each of us will in time need to embrace. I can remember when the milk that my Mom purchased for me to consume came in cardboard cartons or glass bottles. In the 1970s something happened during my childhood that forever… Continue reading My Plastic Life-Why I am saying “NO” to Plastics
I am not an expert on living a simpler life, but moving eight times in two years gave me a crash course and humbled my soul. I hope that I learned what is really important and what is not. However, I feel that "things" will always be a struggle, but it's a battle worth fighting. I… Continue reading Live Simply-Ideas for fewer distractions
Forcing bulbs in the dead of winter is a rewarding and pleasant way to bring a little spring into the house months early. To do this isn't hard work, for the bulbs have all the nutrients they need to bloom stored inside of them. I love Spring, and all the sights and smells that go with it. My… Continue reading Forcing Spring-How to start bulbs inside
A Tropical Plant Tour-The rain forest of Costa Rica I'm stuck in the frigid north this winter, that's not a bad thing, but sometimes I need to lift my spirit. Listening to uplifting music, going outside and decorating with items that simulate spring time are a big help. I like cold, but I also… Continue reading Turn your Winter Blues GREEN with this photo blog from the Tropics
Installing a lighting fixture over a staircase can be difficult so when the light globe slipped effortlessly from my hand and dropped to its death below I cringed. Finding a replacement should of been an easy task but after looking in multiple big box stores, I selected the closest fit.To my dismay it was too… Continue reading Mercury Glass Globe-Making a replacement light globe from a pickle Jar
Handcrafting a brand store item is becoming a trend for those of us who count pennies to get by. Often times I find something I like but the price tag is way out of my reach. It's time to be creative and make it myself. I had on hand some left over or culls of a… Continue reading DIY Planked Quilt Art knock-off
It's true, I made that word up. Finding a word to communicate all the delicate nuances wrapped up into entering a winter garden is no easy task. The happiness of picking something in deep winter, taking it into the kitchen and cooking it up is very special, not to mention nutritious. After recycling a temporary carport and turning it into a hoop… Continue reading “Glee-tritious”-Finding great joy cooking from winter greens
A friend of mine had a fabric covered shelter that they bought for an instant garage. The outside fabric lasted about a year and then ripped to shreds in the Michigan winter. She was now faced with this ugly skeleton structure in her yard. Not wanting to waste the heavy duty steel frame she asked me… Continue reading Recycle-Fabric Car shelter into a greenhouse!
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